


Please Stay Forever With Me

by Fallenstar92



Series: No Regrets, Just Love [1]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Asshole Terry Milkovich, Bottom Mickey Milkovich, Cute, Cute Kids, Domestic Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Good Big Brother Lip, Hurt Mickey Milkovich, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Insecure Mickey, Jealous Mickey Milkovich, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Married Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Mpreg, Protective Ian, Smut, Time Skips, Top Ian Gallagher
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-10
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-10-30 07:11:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 45
Words: 45,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10871679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fallenstar92/pseuds/Fallenstar92
Summary: Ian and Mickey grew up together. The two were always inseparable, so when Ian started working at the Kash-n-grab (and sleeping with Kash), Mickey was Jealous; though he assumed it was because he was losing time with his best-and only-friend, could it be something more?Takes place through out the years. First work so PLEASE leave feedback!





	1. "I had you first, Asshole!"

Their friendship started when Ian was five and Mickey was six; Mickey had walked five-year-old Mandy to the park and spotted a snot-nosed, blotchy-faced, redhead sitting alone in the sand box, looking down at his shoes. "Let's go play in the sand, Mikhailo!" Mickey rolled his eyes at his sister's use of his birth name, but said nothing. Mandy smiled a wide, bright smile he only saw when Terry was locked up, and he couldn't tell his baby sister "no" when she looked up at him with those icy blue eyes, her uneven pigtails, and  _that_ smile.

"Whatever." Mickey mumbled, fallowing Mandy as she ran to the sandbox, plopping herself down next to the redhead. "You okay?" He asked the boy as he sat down across from him.

"My mommy left us." The boy whispered, still looking at his shoes. Mandy was off in her own little world, building a sand castle as the two boys spoke. "She was really happy, and then she was...  _gone."_ Mickey didn't know what to say; his mom left, what could he say?

"Mama says a hug makes you less sad." Mandy chimed in, eyes still on her creation. The boy finally looked up, vibrant green eyes locked on to Mickey's bright blue ones, almost pleading with him. "Hug your friend, Mikhailo!" Mandy exclaimed, finally looking up at her brother.

"Mikhailo?" The boy asked, a hint of humor in his eyes now. "That's too big." He said, still staring at Mickey.

"Mickey." He amended, shifting uncomfortably under the other boy's intense gaze. "Mandy and Mama call me Mikhailo." He mumbled.

"I'm Ian." The redhead said, still silently begging for comfort from Mickey. "Now we're friends." He smiled softly, a hint of the earlier sadness lingering. Mickey was frozen; he never had friends. Other kids said he was too dirty and smelled funny so they never wanted to play with him. He stood up, not saying a word, before wrapping his small arms around the boy. That hug, that simple act of comfort, was the start of a new chapter in both of their lives.

             Nine years later

Ian and Mickey had been inseparable since that day, and were easily the other's best friends. Now here they are, sitting on Mickey's bed, passing a joint between them. "Not a virgin, anymore." Ian announced as if he were simply spouting out the weather. Mickey turned to him, eyes wide, waiting for more information.

Mickey knew he was gay; he'd never said it out loud to anyone aside from his mother, but he wasn't necessarily hiding the fact. He had always assumed Ian was, too, but now he was preparing to have his heart smashed; if Ian  _wasn't_ gay, would he still be Mickey's friend when he found out?

"What's her name?" Mickey asked, trying to make this is normal as he could.

"Rodger Spikey." Ian laughed, either from the weed or the fact that Mickey had asked about a girl.

"You're gay?" Mickey asked, voice barely above a whisper. He knew now he wouldn't lose Ian as a friend over his own sexuality.

"Yep." Ian popped the 'p', passing the joint back to Mickey. "But.. Okay, promise not to tell anyone what I'm about to say?"

"Who the fuck would I tell? You? Ain't got no other friends, man." Mickey scoffed, taking a hit off the joint in his hand.

"My boss blew me." He mumbled, almost ashamed. Mickey hated that Ian had that fucking job; everytime he walked in the store the owner was staring at Ian like he owned his ass. He wanted to spend more time with Ian, like they used to, but the old fucking perv had Ian at the fucking store any chance he got.

"Anything else?" Mickey asked, avoiding Ian's eyes. They knew each other too well to lie, so he hid his jealousy by avoiding any and all eye contact.

"I fucked him; fucking begged me to, but it... I don't know man, it felt wrong." Ian admitted. Mickey was pissed, now; Ian was his first, dammit! He felt taken aback for a second, not knowing where that thought had come from, before turning to see Ian staring at him like he held all of the answers in the fucking universe.

"You were mine, first." Mickey whispered, eyes raking over the freckles littering Ian's face.

"What?" Ian asked, face softening as he stares more intently at Mickey, remembering Mandy saying a guy "got a look in his eyes" when he was into you. He needed to know; needed to know if Mickey felt the same way or his whole God damn world would fall apart.

"You were mine first, asshole!" Mickey yelled, shoving Ian away from him before stubbing the joint out; he needed to fucking clear his head.

"Then prove it." Ian challenged, moving closer to Mickey without thinking twice; this was his chance and like hell was he gonna miss it. "Prove I'm yours." He whispered, lips almost touching Mickey's fuller ones. "Because I wanna be yours, Mick."

That was all it took. Neither boy was certain who initiated the kiss; a mixture of pot and years of pent of feelings fueling the whole thing, but they knew it was the beginning of another new chapter for them. And they were ready to write that chapter together.

 


	2. "They're good for each other"

                    One Year Later

"Time to get up, kids!" Fiona called out from the hallway, effectively ruining the peaceful moment Ian was enjoying with his boyfriend still fast asleep on his chest. Mickey began to move, his thick, black hair tickling Ian's chin as he began to slowly join the waking world.

"The hell couldn't we stay at my place last night?" Mickey asked, voice thick with sleep. Ian smiled at how adorable the older boy was when his precious sleep was disturbed.

"Because your dad's out and your mom told us to stay away from the house, baby." Ian reminded him, running his fingers through Mickey's hair.

"Get up, assholes." Lip ordered calmly, walking into Ian's room-Frank's old room that Fiona had told him he could take over since Mickey was at the house most nights-with a smirk on his face.

"I'm fuckin' suspended, why the hell do I gotta get up?" Mickey mumbled into Ian's neck. Lip smiled wider, blue eyes sparkling as he watched his little brother place random kisses on his thug boyfriend's face. Lip-surprisingly enough-has been the couple's biggest supporter since they got together; he'd always had a feeling there was something aside from friendship between the two of them.

"Come on, baby, you can  _at least_ get up long enough to eat breakfast with me." Ian begged, lifting Mickey's face so he was forced to look at the pout he was sporting.

"Fuckin' fine. Not happy about this shit!" Mickey groaned, slowly moving to a sitting position. "And don't call me 'baby' in front of asshole." He said as an after thought, noticing Lip was still standing there. "The hell do you want,  _Phillip?"_ Mickey asked as he stood, stretching his arms out over his head.

"Fiona sent me in so Carl wouldn't walk in on you two like last time." Lip was honestly trying to hold back the laugh bubbling in his throat, but he couldn't fight it for very long, thinking back to that fateful morning

_"Kids! Time for school, get up!" Fiona yelled, frantically making her way through the hall, knocking on doors to wake up her kids. Debbie-carrying baby Liam in her arms-Carl, and Lip all emerged, bleary-eyed, but awake. Ian, however, did not. "We don't have time for this shit, Carl, go wake Ian and Mickey up!" She called over her shoulder as she lead the rest of the family down the stairs._

_"Ian! Wake up, Fiona said-" Carl stopped dead in his tracks as he walked into Ian's bedroom. Ian was laying on top of Mickey, shirts discarded and mouths connected as their hands wandered the other's body. "Uhm, Ian?" Carl asked, startling the couple apart._

_"Dammit, kid! You ever heard of knockin'?" Mickey demanded, searching frantically for his shirt. Ian simply pulled on the first shirt he found, smiling apologetically at Carl as he did._

_"Why was your hand in Ian's pants?" Carl asked once the boys were both dressed._

_"Carl, shut up." Ian deadpanned, face still red from being caught making out-which more than likely would have ended up going further-by his kid brother._

_"You're both guys, though." Carl carried on as if nothing had happened. He was still young, true, but Ian wanted nothing more than to kick the kid's ass for interrupting them._

_"Gay, kid." Was all Mickey said before leaving two very stunned Gallaghers in his wake._

Ian cringed at the memory. Ever since Carl had been asking questions about gay sex that he truly did not want to answer. "Pill." He whispered to Mickey, getting up and leading Lip out of the room. Mickey was thankful Ian remembered he was a carrier, because he often times forgot he had to take the damn birth control pills every morning.

"Better than bein' fuckin' pregnant." He reminded himself as he took the pills out of his backpack and popped one into his mouth.

"Someone has to take Liam, today." Fiona said as Mickey made his way down the stairs. The usual, chaotic family breakfast already under way.

"Work after school." Ian said, placing a few bills in the box being passed around the table.

"SATs." Lip chimed in, next, placing a few more on top of Ian's. Mickey reached into his pocket, pulling out some of the money he scored from a deal he and Iggy had made earlier that week.

"Suspended, I can watch Monkey Man." He volunteered, ruffling Liam's dark curls.

"Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich!" Fiona yelled, slapping his arms repeatedly. He had never hated Ian more than he did in this moment; no way in Hell did Mandy tell Fiona Gallagher his full name. Her brown eyes were seething when he finally met them, making him feel about six inches tall.

"What?" He mumbled, trying not to meet those eyes.

"Dating one of my kids makes you one of my kids; you're gonna straighten the fuck up, graduate, and get a damn good job. Got it?" She ordered in a very motherly tone. "But thanks. I can't take him with me, today." She sighed, patting his shoulder and placing a sweet, maternal kiss on his cheek.

"Alright, head out." She said, signaling for all of the Gallaghers to get going. "We'll talk about this more later." She stated firmly before heading to the door.

"See you later, Mick." Ian said, kissing his temple as he stood up.

"Old perv still givin' you shit?" Mickey asked, lifting a giggling Liam from his highchair.

"Nah, he's scared shitless after you punched the shit outta him." Ian shrugged, down playing the violence to Lip, who was the only other Gallagher left in the house.

"Asshole needs to learn to keep his damn hands to himself." Mickey commented, surprised to see Lip nodding in agreement.

"Boyfriend's right, man. Come on, gotta go." He instructed, kissing Liam's chubby cheek. "Later, buddy." He smiled at the toddler, as Liam waved.

"Bye, Liam!" Ian called enthusiastically, blowing Liam kisses which he replied to by planting a wet kiss on Mickey's cheek and laughing as if it were the funniest thing he'd ever done. Lip and Ian were both laughing as they walked out the door.

"What was that shit about a pill?" Lip questioned, passing a lit cigarette to Ian.

"You heard that?" Ian didn't want to have this conversation with Lip; it was Mickey's business, and he didn't want his brother running his mouth.

"He's a carrier, isn't he?" Lip asked, lighting a cigarette for himself. Sometimes Ian was amazed that Lip could pick up on things like that. "Kinda guessed that much when you were whispering."

"Don't want kids, right now." That was true; Ian was barely fifteen and Mickey's sixteenth birthday had just passed. They knew they weren't ready to be parents.

"Someday?" Lip asked, brushing his blond hair away from his face as they walked. Ian knew he someday wanted children; wanted a little girl with Mickey's coal black hair and his eyes, or a little boy with his hair and Mickey's beautiful blue eyes, but he knew as long as Terry Milkovich was alive it wouldn't happen.

"As good as you two are, do you really think after a year you know he's the real deal?" Lip knew the answer; saw it everytime his brother looked at the brunette boy, but wanted to hear the words out of Ian's mouth.

"Yeah, I do. I think I've known since I was five." That seemed like enough for Lip, who just smiled fondly at how in love his little brother was.

"Okay, Monkey Man, we both know I suck at this shit." Mickey commented as he sat in the floor with Liam, watching the toddler play. He may be a carrier, but he was awful with children and he knew it. "Just bare with me, aight?" Liam simply giggled in response, crawling into Mickey's lap and cuddling with the older boy.

Mickey smiled softly, pressing his face into Liam's hair and inhaling the soft, sweet scent that could only be associated with babies. There were days when he thought about it; having a baby that was half him and half Ian, but he couldn't let that happen while his father was still breathing. He knew Terry would kill them both, and he wouldn't let that happen to Ian.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there, holding Liam to his chest as the child began to slowly fall asleep in his arms, but his trance was broken when someone began pounding on the front door. Mickey sighed, laying Liam in his playpen before making his way to the door.

"Anyone home?" Fucking Frank. Mickey rolled his eyes, opening the door to reveal a very drunk Frank leaning against the frame. "You're not one of mine." He slurred.

"Nope." Mickey responded, folding his arms over his chest. He didn't mind Frank most days; Hell, most days he wasn't even around. But when he was, his incessant babbling worked Mickey's last nerve.

"You're the Milkovich boy." He slurred again, watching Mickey's face for some sign that he should run. "The one Ian's always got around." Mickey rolled his eyes. If Frank only knew  _why_ he was always around. "My Monica always said you were a bad influence on him... I knew better." That struck a nerve; he knew how bad he was for Ian, but he didn't want to hear it from Frank.

"Knew better how?" He asked, hoping to distract Frank enough that he could close the door in his face.

"You're... Different. Always liked you. You watch out for these kids." Was Frank... Actually saying something  _nice?_ "Ian needed that; too soft hearted for the Southside." Mickey knew Ian could hold his own, but he tended to sympathize with anyone and everyone. "Monica said you'd drag him down. I didn't think so. Hey, mail ran, yet?"

* * *

Mickey rolled his eyes again, handing the envelope Frank was after to him. "Leave; got shit to do." He ordered in a tone he knew struck fear into most people who knew his last name.  
"Got it, Mick." He saluted Mickey as he turned and marched down the stairs.  
"Gonna be a long fuckin' day."

"Swear to God, man!" Ian laughed as he and Lip walked in later that evening, stopping when he saw Mickey preparing dinner for Carl, Debbie, and Liam. "Hey." He whispered, wrapping his arms tightly around Mickey's waist.  
"Hey." Mickey replied, not looking away from what he was doing; he couldn't take his mind off what Frank had said earlier. Was he going to drag Ian down? Should he walk away now before he ended up stuck with Mickey?  
"You okay?" Ian asked, sensing the other boy's tension. He hated seeing Mickey like this. He was obviously over-thinking something.  
"Yeah." He turned the stove off, taking the pan of Mac-n-cheese to the table. "Gonna stay at home tonight." He said, grabbing his backpack off the floor.  
"Terry's home." Lip said, reading the solemn expression on Ian's face.  
"Not Ian; just me. Gotta think some shit over." Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, Mickey began walking to the front door.  
"Mick!" Ian called after him, jogging to catch up. "What's wrong, baby?" He asked, taking Mickey's hand to stop him.  
"Nothin', man. Just need some time to myself." He couldn't tell Ian he was insecure like some fucking teenage girl.  
"I love you." Ian said as he moved to stand in front of Mickey. 'You can't know that' is what he wanted to say; he wanted to push Ian away, but he couldn't make himself.  
"Love you." Mickey replied before pulling his arm free and exiting the house.  
"Are Ian and Mickey breaking up?" Carl asked, looking to Lip and Debbie for answers.  
"No." Debbie said, simply.  
"You sure?" Carl asked, hoping his sister was right.  
"Yeah. They're good for each other. They won't break up." Lip was impressed by Debbie's power of observation, and nodded in agreement before he started feeding Liam. Ian and Mickey would be okay. They had to be.

 


	3. "He should be free"

"Mikhailo? Why are you home, anhel?" Mickey's mother asked when he walked through the door. She shouldn't call him an angel; he was far from it. "Chomu ty vyhlyadayesh tak sumno, anhel?" When his mother slipped back into Ukrainian, it normally meant Terry wasn't home, as he hated hearing her and his children speaking anything aside from english.

"Chy mozhu ya pohana lyudyna, mama?" Ukrainian had always come easier to Mickey than English; he never had to speak English until Terry got out of Prison (for the second time in his life) when he was four. He easily slipped back into it when he was drunk or around his mother.

"Why would you say such a thing?" She asked, her blue eyes full of unshed tears. "Mikhailo, doing bad things from time to time? Does not make you bad. Doing them because that is what you like and you do not care who you hurt? That makes you bad." She placed her slim hands on his face, forcing him to look at her. "Ty khoroshyy khlopchyk, i bude bilʹshe lyudey." She kissed his forehead, her prematurely greying hair brushing his cheek.

Mickey stared at his mother, seeing so much of Mandy and himself in her. 'If my daughter could be half the woman she is,' Mickey thought, still looking into his mother's aging-yet still beautiful-face, 'she'd be fucking perfect.'

"Ty taka harna, mama." He said with a smile. It was true, though; his mother was the only woman he had ever looked at and thought 'she's beautiful' because she always was, and always would be. Despite what Terry had put her through. "Too good to be a Milkovich."

His mother laughed, a soft, musical laugh. "Only bad one? I married. My boys and my girl? Perfect." She lead Mickey to the couch, sitting beside him and running her fingers through his hair. "Now, what has my Mikhailo so sad?" Mickey may do some bad shit, but he knew better than to lie to his mother. 

"Frank stopped by; said he always liked me, even though Monica said I would just drag Ian down." His mother scoffed, anger radiating through her small form.

"I never liked her; not good enough to be my Ian's mother." He knew his mother loved Ian; everyone loved Ian. But it still made him smile to hear her call him "my Ian" any chance she got.

"She's right, mama; I'll end up fuckin' pregnant and Ian would stay just because he'd think he had to. Ian's too fuckin' good for the Southside. He should be free." Those words felt like acid on his tongue, no matter how true they may be. He was selfish in many ways, and wanted Ian to himself, but Ian deserved better than Southside.

"I have known him a long time. And you are right; he deserves to be free. But what you two have? It frees the both of you." His mother smiled softly, smoothing his hair back in place. "My boys are a perfect match. Will make me beautiful vnuchata, someday." Mickey would later deny the blush that crept to his face at that comment.

"Ma!" He exclaimed, covering his face. "Why the Hell would you say that shit?" He wouldn't look at her now; his mother knew he was a carrier, and he assumed she knew he wasn't a virgin, but he didn't need his mother talking about him and Ian having kids.

"You said it first, Mikhailo." He hoped his mother had missed that part, but he should have known she wouldn't. "And besides, I know you are safe; when the time comes, you and Ian will make gorgeous babies for me to spoil." That made him wish he wasn't too scared of Terry to have children of his own; his mother would be an amazing grandmother.

"If it's gonna happen, you'll be the third person to know." He told her sincerely, taking her hand and placing a kiss on his knuckles.

"Third?" She asked, raising an impressive eyebrow in a way only he did.

"Me, Ian, then you." He didn't question whether or not it would be Ian; he was the only person he could see himself having a child with in the future.

"Makes sense." She stood up, dropping a kiss on his head. "Get some sleep. You will go over to Ian's tomorrow and tell him why you are acting like suka."

"Damn, ma! Tell me how you really feel." He snarked, earning a slap to his arm. "Okay! Okay! I'm goin', damn." He mumbled, making his way to his bedroom. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and fished around to retrieve it, knowing it was a text from Ian.

_Ian: You know I hate sleeping alone :(_

_Mickey: Suck it up; it's one damn night._

_Ian: Still hate it; miss my personal space heater._

_Mickey: Be back tomorrow; Ma helped me figure some shit out._

_Ian: Care to clarify?_

_Mickey: Just that she called me a bitch. It's a lot more insulting in Ukrainian, man._

_Ian: Still dying to hear you speak Ukrainian._

_Mickey: What? Like dirty talk? Like doin' that when you can understand me._

_Ian: Nah, I wanna understand that. Just say something to me._

Mickey thought for a second before calling Ian. "Hey." Ian answered, happy to get to hear his boyfriend's voice before he goes to sleep.

"Only doin' this shit once." He warned as he flopped down onto his bed.

"Wait, you're really gonna do it?!" Ian asked, excitement clear in his voice.

"Yeah so shut the hell up and listen..." Mickey sighed, knowing what he was about to say was something he'd never repeat in English if he could help it. "YA tebe lyublyu. Tak tse zhakhaye mene, i ya budu trymaty tebe lyubyty, poky moyi leheni ne vydayutʹ. Ty dlya mene vse; vesʹ miy svit, i koly-nebudʹ, ya dam vam te, shcho vy daly meni. Koly-nebudʹ, my budemo maty sim vy zasluhovuyete."

"Shit, I have no idea what you just said, but you speaking Ukrainian? That sounded so fucking hot." Ian breathed into the phone. "Tell me what you said?" He asked, Mickey guessed because he was either hoping it was sweet or sexy.

"Maybe someday, Firecrotch." He said, smiling to himself when Ian huffed.

"Didn't even say that shit slow enough that I could memorize it and look it up." Mickey knew now his boyfriend was pouting. "Say it slower so I can." It wasn't a request.

"YA tebe lyublyu. Tak tse zhakhaye mene, i ya budu trymaty tebe lyubyty, poky moyi leheni ne vydayutʹ. Ty dlya mene vse; vesʹ miy svit, i koly-nebudʹ, ya dam vam te, shcho vy daly meni. Koly-nebudʹ, my budemo maty sim vy zasluhovuyete." Mickey repeated slower, allowing Ian to catch every word.

"Okay... Don't laugh when I try this, okay?" Mickey knew he'd somehow butcher it, but he agreed not to laugh (at least until he was off the phone) and waited. "YA tebe lyublyu. Tak tse zhakhaye mene, i ya budu trymaty tebe lyubyty, poky moyi leheni ne vydayutʹ. Ty dlya mene vse; vesʹ miy svit, i koly-nebudʹ, ya dam vam te, shcho vy daly meni. Koly-nebudʹ, my budemo maty sim vy zasluhovuyete." Ian stuttered out in very broken Ukrainian.

"Not too bad." Mickey said, honestly impressed he'd done that well. "I'm goin' to sleep."

"Night, Mick. Love you." Mickey would never get tired of hearing those words from Ian.

"Love you, too." He hung up ready to get some sleep.

 

"You sure you repeated it right?" Lip asked the next morning as they sat on Ian's bed.

"Yeah." He couldn't wipe the smile off his face this morning; after translating what Mickey had said, all he could think about was his boyfriend.

"So, what? You gonna give up the army shit?" Lip hoped Ian would say yes. He didn't want his little brother getting his head blown off.

"I don't know, man. Not like anything's set in fuckin' stone. He's still on the pill and I'm only fifteen. But if we decide to have a kid? Not sure I could leave." Ian had dreamt all night of him and Mickey, playing outside with a small girl, laughing and smiling as she ran around. If he could, he'd have that little girl in his arms right now.

"Think it'll happen?" Lip asked, breaking Ian out of his thoughts of a daughter he doesn't even have.

"I hope." The smile on Ian's face said it all; he wanted a life with Mickey more than a military career.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Anhel-Angel  
> Chomu ty vyhlyadayesh tak sumno, anhel?-Why do you look so sad, angel?  
> Chy mozhu ya pohana lyudyna, mama?-Am I a bad person, mom?  
> Ty khoroshyy khlopchyk, i bude bilʹshe lyudey.-You are a good boy and will be a greater man.  
> Ty taka harna, mama-you're so pretty, mom.  
> vnuchata-Grandchildren  
> suka-A bitch  
> YA tebe lyublyu. Tak tse zhakhaye mene, i ya budu trymaty tebe lyubyty, poky moyi leheni ne vydayutʹ. Ty dlya mene vse; vesʹ miy svit, i koly-nebudʹ, ya dam vam te, shcho vy daly meni. Koly-nebudʹ, my budemo maty sim vy zasluhovuyete-I love you. So much it terrifies me, and I'll keep loving you until my lungs give out. You are my everything; my whole world, and someday, I'll give back to you what you've given me. Someday, we'll have the family you deserve


	4. "Fucking Monica"

                  One Year Later

Ian ran down the stairs as the front door opened, hoping his boyfriend was back from his job at meat packing plant. Mickey hated the job, but he promised Fiona and his mother he'd get a job to keep him out of trouble. So far it's worked, and-even with only working after school and a few hours during the weekend-he made decent money.

"Hey, baby!" He heard before hitting the bottom step. 'Shit' he thought as soon as the voice hit his ears. Why the hell was Monica here? "God, look at you! You look so grown up!" She ran over to Ian, wrapping him in a tight hug. "So handsome." She sighed as she pulled away slightly, smiling at Ian like he hung the fucking stars.

"What are you doin' here?" He asked, wishing someone else was home. Monica had a way of getting into his head, and he didn't want to deal with that alone.

"Wanted to see my babies!" She yelled, still holding onto Ian. "Where is everyone?" She asked, looking around the house.

"Not home. You should go, Monica." She flinched at his use of her first name, but still kept a hold of him.

"You're too skinny, baby." She said, patting Ian's flat stomach.

"Ian, babe, there any hot water?" Mickey asked as he walked in, not looking towards the steps.

"Who's this?" Monica asks, more excited now as her eyes raked over Mickey's body. Ian wanted to gag at her obviously checking his boyfriend out when he had just walked in and called Ian "babe". Mickey looked up at the stairs now, a snarl on his lips when he spots Monica. "He's cute, Ian! Introduce us!"

"You met me, before." Mickey deadpanned, taking off his sweat drenched shirt. Monica was practically drooling now, and Ian had never wanted to slap a woman before that moment.

"No, I'm sure I'd remember you." She flirted, still staring at Mickey.

"Mickey Milkovich." Ian finally said, walking past his mother to place a hand on the small of his boyfriend's back as he removed his work boots. "Bad day, baby?" He said loud enough for Monica to hear.

"Hot as fuck in that place, man." Mickey groaned as he popped his neck. "Don't touch me, right now; smell gross." Ian scoffed before kissing Mickey's neck.

"Mickey? Oh my God! Look at you! Turned out to be a real looker." Monica said after recovering from the shock of finding out the teenage boy she was drooling over was the same dirty kid she wanted far away from her Ian.

"Thanks?" Mickey replied, obviously uncomfortable with her remark. "Gonna go shower." He told Ian, kissing him on the cheek before darting up the stairs past Monica.

"You're dating him?" Monica asked, having watched Mickey as he ran up the stairs. "He looks... So different." Monica said in disbelief.

"Been years since the last time you saw Mick." Ian shrugged, moving Mickey's boots to the wall. "He's seventeen now, not a ten-year-old kid." He was angry; angry that she had left them so many times, that she waltzed in like this was still her home, that she was basically eye-fucking his boyfriend... He was just generally pissed that Monica was there.

"Ian! Help me out?" Fiona shouted as she walked into the house.

"Sure." He said, thankful someone in his family was home. He picked up some of the groceries Fiona had sat down outside the door.

"Thanks, sweetface." She sighed, picking up the rest of the bags, ready to walk to the kitchen.

"Monica's back." He warned, walking past her with his arms full.

"Gotta be fuckin' kidding me." She said under her breath before fallowing. "Out." Was all she said to Monica as she walked to the kitchen with Ian.

"Fiona-" Fiona held up a hand, silencing her mother. 

"No. These kids?  _My kids?_ They don't deserve to go through your shit, again." Fiona wasn't looking at Monica as she spoke, just walking around kitchen with Ian, both putting groceries where they belonged. "So just go. We're doin' good for once."

"I'm good now, Fiona!" Monica claimed trying to block her daughter's path.

"You on meds now?" She questioned, finally meeting Monica's wide green eyes.

"I don't need them; I'm not bipolar!" She nearly screamed, running her fingers through her messy blonde hair.

"Bullshit." Ian said, placing things on the top shelf. He loved his mother, but he wasn't putting his younger siblings through her shit this time around.

"Ian!" Monica gasped, acting shocked by his language.

"Look, you gave birth to us, but you're not a mother to us. Fuck, Fiona's been my mother since I was one!" He didn't expect to say that, but it felt good to get it out. "She raised all of us, and did a great fuckin' job; Lip's on the fast track to college, I'm the highest ranking officer in ROTC, Debbie's getting straight As, and Carl's actually trying in school this year! Fiona helped us get there. Not you."

"She's letting your boyfriend live here!" Monica accused as if it was scandalous that Mickey was there.

"And? He's balancing a job and school, and doing fuckin' awesome! He's doing vocational training to become a mechanic. And guess who he thanked for giving him the idea? Fiona." Mickey was now standing quietly at the bottom of the stairs, hair wet, dressed in one of Ian's t-shirts and a pair of sweats.

"Thanks, sweetface." Fiona whispered sincerely, rubbing his back gently.

 "I'm going to my room." He was suddenly exhausted. "Mick?" He needed Mickey to understand what he meant; he needed Mickey to just hold him while he cried it all out.

"Gonna help Fi finish this up. I'll be in there in a minute." Ian loved that Mickey knew what he meant, and loved him more for the look of determination on his face, which meant Monica wouldn't be here much longer.

"Thanks." He whispered, kissing Mickey softly before heading upstairs.

"Fi, make sure he's okay? Wanna talk to Monica." Fiona knew not to argue with a Milkovich in protective mode, so she fallowed Ian up the stairs without saying a word. "I know you don't like me, I don't like you either; you put Ian-all of them, Frank fuckin' included-through way too much shit, and it ain't happening this time. Ian almost fuckin' lost himself last time you came back to play house and took off again.

"I'm not letting you hurt him again. So do everyone a fuckin' favor and leave now." Mickey was now finishing up the groceries, keeping his hands busy would keep him calm enough to get through his little "talk" with the woman who could very well become his mother-in-law in the future. 

"Don't try to act like you care. We both know this won't last, Mickey." Monica was glaring at Mickey now.

"Why the fuck is that? And don't tell me I don't care about my fuckin' boyfriend!" Mickey didn't like people talking shit about him, but when they pulled Ian into it? Monica was lucky he thought it was a pussy move to hit a woman (and that his mother would kick his ass if he even thought about it) or this could be much worse than a talk.

"I remember Terry; you'll end up married to some woman with three kids before you know it. Where does that leave Ian?" Mickey was beyond pissed now; he was scared of Terry-with good reason-but he didn't plan on walking away from Ian. 'Married with three kids part doesn't sound too fuckin' bad, though' he thought.

"See, we're pretty fuckin' different, Monica; I'm not leavin' them. The kids you made for Fiona to raise? They're my fuckin' family. And the biggest thing my mom taught me? Don't turn your back on family." Mickey was proud of himself when he saw her eyes turn sad.

"I'm not leaving." She whispered.

"Only a matter of time, Monica." He moved past her, walking up the stairs to check on his boyfriend. "Fi, I got him." He said quietly as he walked into their room, seeing Ian curled in on himself as Fiona rubbed his back.

"She still down there?" Fiona asked, slowly standing up as Mickey got closer to the bed.

"Was when I left. Wanted to get up here to him." Fiona's smile was warmer than Mickey thought he deserved, so he looked down at Ian, taking over where she had left off.

"Thanks, Mick. For everything." She kissed his hair, laughing softly when he blushed. "Fucking Monica, right?"

"Yeah. Fucking Monica." He kissed Ian's temple, only noticing Fiona had left them alone by the sound of the door. "How you doin'?" He asked, watching as Ian slowly turned his head, tear stains on his cheeks. "Shit, Ian." He hated seeing Ian cry; broke his fucking heart to see Ian upset.

"She's the reason we met, remember?" Mickey nodded, lacing his fingers with Ian's much longer ones. "How bad would it be if she's the reason I ask you to marry me?" Mickey froze, not knowing if Ian was serious or not.

"Don't joke about that shit, man." He couldn't take it if Ian was joking.

"Not. Fiona's my guardian, right?" Mickey nodded slowly, staring at Ian as if he had two heads. "Been looking into it; you can get married at sixteen with a guardian's premission."

"You're serious." Mickey could feel tears coming to his eyes, now. Ian was  _actually_ asking Mickey to marry him.

"Of course I am." Ian cracked a small smile, sitting up to look at Mickey. "Gonna answer me?"

"Gonna fuckin' ask me properly?" Mickey challenged. Ian laughed, nodding before climbing off the bed and getting down on one knee. "Really? Down on one knee? Fuckin' lame, Gallagher."

"Thought you liked me on my knees?" Ian asked, a cocky smirk plastered on.

"Get to fuckin' askin' me to marry your freckled ass, already!" Mickey groaned, rolling his eyes at Ian's antics.

"I don't have a ring, but you couldn't wear it in auto body or to work, anyway." Ian cleared his throat, taking both of Mickey's hands in his. "When I was five, you hugged me because I was sad that Monica left. That was the day we met, and you've been with me ever since. You can be an asshole, and you can drive me fuckin' crazy some days, but I'll  _never_ love anyone the way I love you, Mick. You're it for me, and I've known that since I was a kid.

"Really don't wanna spend all night on the floor, so... Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich, will you marry me?" Mickey wanted to laugh at the fact that Ian looked nervous, but he couldn't with the fucking lump that decided his throat was it's home. He nodded, pulling Ian back onto the bed and kissing him fiercely.

"You really think I'd fuckin' say no?" He laughed wetly, allowing a few tears to fall. Fuck it, he's allowed to cry; he's marrying Ian Fucking Gallagher.

"Fucking Monica; did one good thing in her life." Ian said, new tears falling from his own eyes.

"Maybe a few." Mickey said, looking up at his boyfriend-his  _fiancé,_ he corrected himself-with an easy smile. He couldn't stop smiling now.

"Found something this morning." Ian was reaching under the bed as he spoke, finally pulling out a pregnancy test.  _a positive pregnancy test._ "You were sick as a fuckin' dog about two weeks ago, so I'm hoping this is yours and not my sister's because that would be fuckin' nasty."

"And touchin' a stick I pissed on wouldn't be?" Mickey wanted to keep Ian waiting, but he couldn't bring himself to with the hopeful look in his eyes. "Yeah." Was all he said.

"You're pregnant, Mick." Ian sounded amazed at his own words; at the fact that he was gonna be a father.

"Yeah. Birth control fuckin' failed or somethin'." Mickey didn't want to seem as excited as he was, because if Ian decided he wasn't ready, it would be the end of them. This was his baby, and he fucking wanted it.

"We're having a baby!" Ian exclaimed with a smile wide enough to put the joker to shame and brighter than the fucking sun on his face. He crawled down Mickey's body, lifting his shirt and kissing his still flat stomach. "Hi, baby. Daddy loves you." He whispered against Mickey's skin.

"Can't hear you, asshole." Mickey said even as he smiled down at his fiancé talking to their child.

"Shut up and let me have my moment with my child!" Ian chastised. "He's just jealous that daddy's your favorite."

"Better not be! Your ass isn't the one who's gonna get fuckin' fat... Or the one who's gotta push the kid out." Ian-very maturely-stuck his tongue out before looking back at Mickey's stomach.

"It's okay, sweetie; daddy knows he's your favorite." He stage whispered before laying down beside Mickey and pulling the brunette on top of him, capturing his lips in a heated kiss. 'Things could definitely be worse.' Ian thought as his hands found Mickey's hips. He was ready for whatever life threw his way; he had Mickey, so how couldn't he be?


	5. "I won't change my mind"

"Fiona's gonna be pissed." Mickey said as they stood at the top of the stairs, working up the courage to go down and talk to Ian's guardian.

"For a minute; probably gonna think we'll drop our kid in her lap, but she'll get over it." Ian was much calmer than Mickey; holding his fiancée's hand tightly in his own.

"What happens when you fuck off to the army? I'll be alone with a kid." Mickey wanted his child-he really did-but he didn't think he could raise a child, alone.

"Not going; been thinking about studying to be an EMT." Ian shrugged. He wanted to stay in Chicago with his family; his siblings, his fiancée, and their baby. "Come on, we should go talk to Fi while everyone else is still asleep." Mickey gave Ian a stiff nod before walking down the stairs with him.

"Hey, guys!" Fiona smiled to the boys before sensing Mickey's nervousness. "What's up?" She asked, walking over and placing a hand on his forehead.

"I asked Mick to marry me." Ian said, taking Fiona's attention off the brunette.

"What?" Her eyes were wide, and Ian was sure she'd tell him he was too young, but she pulled both boys into a hug. "Congratulations!" Ian let out a sigh of relief.

"Why the Hell do you look so nervous?" She asked Mickey, looking deeply into his blue eyes.

"Because I'm pregnant." He whispered, finally saying the words out loud terrified him.

"How far along are you?" She lead the boys to the table, taking a seat and watching closely as they copied her.

"Not sure." Mickey replied, feeling a little calmer, now.

"How long have you known?" Fiona wasn't trying to be overbearing, but she was trying to wrap her head around the fact that her little brother was having a baby.

"Felt sick for awhile, but didn't know for sure until yesterday." Fiona nodded. She glanced at Ian, catching him staring at Mickey with so much love she felt a bit of envy; she wanted someone to look at her the way Ian looked at Mickey.

"I'll babysit, but you two are raising the kid. I've done it, already." Both boys nodded. She felt better, knowing they planned to raise their own child. "What do you want?" She asked, leaning over and smiling brightly at the boys.

"Girl." Ian said without thinking. Mickey turned to him, giving him a thoughtful expression.

"Really?" Ian nodded at his fiancée, thinking back to his dream.

"Keep thinking about this fucking  _beautiful_ little girl with your hair and smile-even had your dimples-but she had my eyes; green's dominant over blue, but black is dominant over red, so I figured it made sense. Plus, the Gallagher and Milkovich families have more boys than girls, so we need more girls." Mickey was now picturing the little girl himself, and he wanted so badly to see her in reality.

"Yeah. Yeah, she sounds beautiful." Mickey agreed, subconsciously placing his hand on his flat stomach.

"I better be my niece's favorite uncle." The three sitting at the table turned to see Lip on the stairs. "Because if I'm not, I'll be pissed." Ian laughed softly and nodded. He hoped his daughter-and he would keep hoping for a daughter until it was proven otherwise-would love his older brother.

"Chy mozhemo my povernutysya v lizhko, zaraz?" Mickey mumbled as he laid his head on Ian's shoulder.

"Baby, I don't know what that means." Ian said, kissing Mickey's soft, black hair.

"He asked if you could go back to bed." Mandy yawned, announcing her presence. The family knew Lip and Mandy were together-it was hard not to see the way they gravitated towards each other-and knew they were somewhat serious, but it was obvious by their shocked expressions they didn't know she was at the house.

"Chorta ty tut robysh?" Mickey asked, sitting straight up, now.

"Nochuvaly; dodomu Terri." Mandy replied, causing Mickey's face to pale.

"Vin ne mozhe diznatysya pro tse! YA ne mozhu vtratyty dytynu." Mickey shouted, gasping for breath as he jumped to his feet.

"Mick, baby, calm down." Ian moved to stand in front of Mickey, trying to calm the other boy as tears fell from his eyes. "Mickey, look at me, this isn't good for the baby." Mickey took a few unsteady breaths. 

"YA pereproshuyu, trokhy odyn." Mickey whispered, rubbing his hand over his flat stomach.

"Mandy, what did you two say?" Lip questioned his girlfriend, watching as Ian kneeled in front of Mickey, making sure he was calming down.

"I told him Terry was home, and he said Terry can't find out and he can't lose his baby." Mandy was staring at her brother, watching him try to regulate his breathing.

"Mick, he's not coming near the baby, okay?" Ian soothed, wiping tears away from Mickey's face. "I won't let him hurt the two of you."

"We'll kill his ass if he comes near you." Lip promised. He loved his brother, and knew he'd love his niece or nephew.

"Morning!" Monica yelled as she entered the kitchen, running to hug Lip.

"Not the time, Monica." Lip moved away from his mother, patting Mickey on the shoulder.

"Is he okay?" She asked as she spotted Mickey finally breathing normally.

"Fine." Ian said, helping Mickey up and leading him to the stairs.

"YA lyublyu tebe, malyatko." Mickey whispered-seemingly to himself-as he and Ian walked up the stairs.

"What language was that?" Monica turned to Lip and Mandy, seeking her answers.

"Ukrainian." Mandy answered. "Called me a whore." Mandy lied, easily.

"What?" Monica looked shocked by what Mandy had said.

"I call him cock slut, he calls me whore; sibling bonding at it's finest." Mandy shrugged.

"You're Mickey's sister?" Mandy nodded, kissing Lip, and leaving.

"I'm gonna go shower." Monica ran up the stairs, leaving Fiona and Lip in the kitchen.

"Think she heard?" Fiona asked, watching after the older woman.

"I hope not." Lip sighed, knowing how much Monica disliked Mickey. "If she did... We're going to fuckin' war, big sister." She nodded, knowing Lip had never been more right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Chy mozhemo my povernutysya v lizhko, zaraz?-Can we go back to bed, now?  
> Chorta ty tut robysh?-the hell are you doing here?  
> nochuvaly; dodomu Terri.-Spent the night; Terry's home.  
> Vin ne mozhe diznatysya pro tse! YA ne mozhu vtratyty dytynu.-He can't find out about this! I can't lose my baby.  
> YA pereproshuyu, trokhy odyn.-I'm sorry, little one.  
> YA lyublyu tebe, malyatko-I love you, little one.


	6. Storm On The Horizon

Lip and Fiona decided to gather the Gallagher clan-Frank inviting himself-as well as the members of the Milkovich family Mickey trusted and Kev and Vee; they needed a plan for whatever the fuck Monica was up to. Ian sat in the arm chair with Mickey resting between his legs, back pressed tightly to Ian's chest, Ian's hand rubbing small circles on Mickey's flat stomach. The younger Gallaghers-along with Frank, Iggy, Kev and Vee-Sat on the couch while Mama Milkovich, Lip, Fiona and Mandy stood.

"Yakshcho tsya suka yde poruch z moyeyu dytynoyu, ya zakinchu yiyi!" Mickey, Iggy, and Mandy all stared at their mother in utter shock.

"Zaspokoysya, mama; my ne vbyvayuchy nikoho." Mickey chimed in, rolling his eyes at the confused looks from everyone aside from his brother, sister, and mother.

"Matusya pravylʹno, trakhatʹ suchku krashche dyvytysya yiyi nazad." Iggy said, looking straight at his younger brother who instantly burst out laughing.

"You're twenty three years-old, stop callin' ma  _mommy!"_ Mickey laughed hysterically. "And speak fucking English; these assholes don't speak Ukrainian."

"I can call Matusya whatever the hell I want." Iggy said. "Still think if she tries to get to Terry we put a damn bullet in her."

"You're not killing my mother, Iggy." Ian sighed. "Look, she's not a big enough bitch to do that to..." Ian trailed off, biting his bottom lip.

"To you?" Frank supplied. "Monica doesn't deal well with not getting her way, and you were always her favorite," Frank looks around at his children, a sheepish expression on his face. "no offence. Anyway, she'd do some crazy shit to get you away from Mickey." When Frank Gallagher starts making sense, you know something is wrong.

"What do we do? That doesn't involve the possiblity of someone going to prison." Ian finally spoke, only concerned for the people in this room with him; his real family.

"Get Terry locked up again." Iggy suggested before looking down, something obviously brewing beneath the surface for the blond Milkovich. "For good this time."

"Chy ne vidbuvayetʹsya! Vy ne robyte tse dlya mene!" Before anyone could stop him, Mickey was on his feet with Iggy shoved against the wall.

"Yakshcho vin zbyrayetʹsya vbyty kohosʹ, vin upevnenyy, yak ebatʹ ne bude v vas!" Mickey seethed in his brother's face.

"Mickey let him go!" Mandy yelled, trying to pull Mickey off Iggy with no success.

"Mikhailo, let him go." His mother spoke calmly, placing a hand on Mickey's tense shoulder. "This is no good for miy onuk." Mickey finally released Iggy.

"We'll find another fuckin' way." Mickey spat, letting his mother rub his back as Iggy regained his ability to breathe. "Not gonna have someone else's blood on my fuckin' hands."

"How long would he get for breaking parole?" Kev asked, looking to Iggy for the answer.

"Depends on what he does; misdemeanor won't get us enough time. A felony he'd go away for a few years... With as many people as Terry's pissed off that might be all we need."

"He's lookin' for a gun. How long would that get us?" Kev was a good guy, and a loyal one; if he loved you, the fucking tree had your back.

"At least two years." Mama Milkovich answered.

"We'll turn it in if push comes to shove.

 

"Terry!" Monica cheered, throwing her arms around the Milkovich Patriarch.

"Monica Gallagher." He said with a low whistle, looking the woman over. "Still a great piece of ass!" He sat down at the bar, waiting for Lisa to serve him his usual drink. "What brings you back to the Southside?" He asked the woman.

"Wanted to see my babies." He grunted in an uninterested fashion; he never took much interest in his children. "So, congratulations are in order!" She spoke again, undeterred by his lack of interest in what she was saying.

"Been out for a week." He said, chugging his beer down quickly.

"No, silly! You're gonna be a grandpa!" She giggled.

"Which one of my boys knocked someone up?" He asked, assuming it was Iggy; boy had always had a soft spot for kids.

"None." She giggled again.

"Who the  _fuck_ got my Mandy pregnant?!" Terry demanded, face red and eyes radiating pure hate.

"Not Mandy; the short one. Mikey?" She feigned innocence; she knew Terry would be furious that his son was gay.

"The fuck are you talkin' about, nut case?" His boy wasn't gay. No way in Hell would Mickey take it up the ass.

"My baby boy Ian's the daddy." She actually sounded proud to her own ears; she was impressed by her own acting skills.

"Gonna kill that boy!" Terry roared, storming out of the bar.

"Never thought I'd say this, but you're worse than Frank." Lisa said with a scowl before moving to the phone. She knew Kev and Vee would tell the Gallagher's to watch out for Terry. She just hoped they had time to warn them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> Yakshcho tsya suka yde poruch z moyeyu dytynoyu, ya zakinchu yiyi!-If that bitch comes near my baby, I will end her!  
> Zaspokoysya, mama; my ne vbyvayuchy nikoho.-calm down, mom; we're not killing anyone.  
> matusya pravylʹno, trakhatʹ suchku krashche dyvytysya yiyi nazad.-Mommy is right, fucking bitch better watch her back.  
> Chy ne vidbuvayetʹsya! Vy ne robyte tse dlya mene!-Not happening! You're not doing that for me!  
> Yakshcho vin zbyrayetʹsya vbyty kohosʹ, vin upevnenyy, yak ebatʹ ne bude v vas!-If he's gonna kill someone, it sure as fuck isn't gonna be you!  
> miy onuk-my grandchild


	7. A Life Worth Living

"We got a big fuckin' problem." Kev announced as he walked back into the living room, bypassing the group of people staring at him until he stood in front of Mickey and his mother. "Katia... Does Terry have a gun at the house?" She shook her head but didn't say a word. "You're sure?" Kev asked, clearly anxious.

"No. My boys got rid of them all when he was sentenced. That is why he is looking for one." Katia replied quietly, caressing Mickey's face in an attempt to keep her boy calm; she remembered the panic attacks he had as a child, and never wanted to see him go through that again.

"Is someone gonna get shot?" Carl asked with a mixture of excitement and worry on his face.

"Shut up, Carl!" Debbie screeched, covering Liam's ears from his spot in her lap.

"No one is getting shot! Kev, baby, what's goin' on?" Vee asked her husband as gently as she could.

"That was Lisa. Monica told Terry... She said he was more pissed off than she'd ever seen him. And this is Terry Milkovich we're talkin' about so we need to be fuckin' ready." Kev wasn't a violent man, but he was loyal to those he loved. "Mick, you got a gun?"

"No." Was all Mickey said, eyes on Ian as he paced the length of the living room. Mickey stepped away from his mother to block the path Ian had been pacing. Ian looked into Mickey's eyes for a split second before pulling him into a nearly crushing embrace. "I love you." Mickey said, voice thick as he extracted himself from Ian's arms.

"You're gonna be a great dad." Mickey told Ian, truthfully, because he knew for a fact it was true. Ian would be an amazing father, someday, but maybe this wasn't the time for it. "I'm sorry, kokhana."

"Mick-" Mickey cut Ian off, smashing their lips together. Ian wrapped his arms around Mickey again, pulling him as close as possible as he ran his tongue along Mickey's bottom lip, deepening the kiss as Mickey opened his mouth. He knew Mickey meant this kiss as a goodbye, but there was no fucking way he was letting anything happen to Mickey. Not now, not ever.

"Tell me goodbye." Mickey murmured when their lips finally separated.

"Mickey, don't talk like that." Fiona begged. "You're not goin' anywhere." Mickey gave Fiona a sad smile as he stepped away from Ian, opening his arms to hug her.

"Come on, I know all you fuckin' Gallaghers are sentimental about this pussy shit so enjoy that I'm the one initiatin' it." Fiona let out a heart-wrenching sob as she fell into Mickey's arms, hugging him for dear life. "I told you when I was ten I wouldn't let no one hurt him. I keep my fuckin' promises."

"Mickey stop this stupid shit!" Mandy demanded, yanking her hand away from Lip and stomping over to her brother. "Don't be fucking selfish!"

"Not bein' selfish, Mands." He told his sister when Fiona finally released him.

"Yes you fucking are! You go after him, and you're risking more than just your life!" Mandy was positive that if she reminded him that his life was directly linked to his child's life he would stop this; that he'd step back and let someone else handle Terry.

"I'm not bein' selfish. Ian's sixteen; he's gonna get the fuck outta the here if he doesn't have anything holdin' him back," Mickey placed his hand on his stomach, wishing he could apologize to the baby for making the choice he was making. 'It's for your daddy; can't let Terry hurt him.' He thought as a sort of prayer to his baby. "he'll be a fuckin' great dad, someday, but not now."

"Mikhailo..." Mickey turned to look at his mother, wishing she'd get a chance to meet her grandbaby. "This is not the only solution." She was crying as hard as Fiona, now, and he hated that; his mother never cried.

"Yeah it is, Ma." He pecked her soft cheek, inhaling the familiar, comforting scent of his mother. "Mandy and Iggy are gonna give you beautiful grandbabies. Just... Don't fuckin' let them name one Mikhailo; shit's hard to spell as a kid."

"Mick, man, don't do this to Ma." Iggy tried to reason with his brother. "Don't do this shit to  _Ian."_ Everyone was crying at this point; Fiona holding Ian in her arms-until he could no longer stand the scene around him and took off up the stairs-as Carl tried to console Debbie and Liam-who had no idea what was going on, but knew everyone else was sad-Vee was clinging to Kev while Frank tried to hide his own tears.

"Take care of my sister, asshole." Mickey tried to joke to Lip. Lip stepped forward, pulling his brother-in-law-because fuck if it was legal or not, Mickey was a God damn Gallagher-into a hug. "Not gonna change my mind." He warned Lip. Lip said nothing, just hugged Mickey tighter.

"Always thought Fiona would give me my first son-in-law... But I'm glad it was Ian. He picked a good one." Frank said, patting Mickey on the back.

"Mickey! Mickey you fuckin' worthless piece of shit! Come the fuck out here!" Terry yelled from the front lawn, ruining the family's moment. Mickey walked to the front door, dodging everyone who tried to stop him.

"Take care of him." Was all Mickey said before opening the door and walking outside to face his father. He slammed the door closed to get Terry's attention, looking the man dead in the eyes. "Go ahead, do whatever the fuck it is you were plannin' on doin'. I'm not gonna stop you." Mickey said, stepping closer to Terry as he pulled a gun from the waistband of his jeans. "Gonna fuckin' shoot me,  _dad?"_

"Fuckin' Faggot!" With the gun still in his hand, Terry jumped at Mickey, throwing punches left and right at his son's face. Mickey didn't make any move to fight back, taking every hit Terry dished out. 'I'm so fuckin' sorry, baby; your daddy and I love you.' He thought as Terry stood, out of breath from the beating he'd given his son, and aimed the gun at Mickey's head.

The last thing he heard before everything went black was a gunshot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> kokhana-Sweetheart
> 
> I'm going to start taking prompts. If you have a prompt for me, leave it in the comments or DM me.


	8. I Wouldn't Mind Spending It By Your Side

               Four Years Later

Ian woke up with a start, having heard a crash somewhere in his apartment. He felt the other side of the bed, finding it cold and empty. He snapped his head around towards the door as he heard a giggle. "And  _who_ might that be?" He played along, trying not to laugh as the door opened quickly.

"Happy birthday, daddy!" His three-year-old daughter, Mayla, yelled, flinging herself onto the bed. Ian laughed, picking the little girl up, pressing messy kisses to her pale cheeks as her black hair fell in both of their faces. Mayla laughed hysterically when Ian pulled away enough to look at his perfect little girl, her grassy green eyes a mirror of his own, the freckles scattered on her cheeks so much lighter than his own had been at her age.

"Thank you, princess." He said with a smile, kissing her forehead. "Was that noise you?" He asked the squirming toddler in his lap.

"I drop a cup." she admitted sheepishly. "Mama say to wake you up!" She was her usual, chipper self, again.

"Did he?" Ian asked as he spotted his husband in the doorway, eyes fixed on their beautiful girl. "Morning, baby." He called to Mickey.

"Morning." Mickey walked into the room, kissing Mayla's dark hair before placing a soft kiss on Ian's lips. "May, did you tell daddy what you did?" He asked, picking the girl up and perching her on his hip.

"I help mama make pancakes!" She yelled, earning an eye roll from Mickey. He loved their daughter, but he wished she would stop calling him "mama"; kept swearing he'd kill Lip for teaching her that.

"Wow!" Ian said, extracting himself from the covers and standing up; glad he and Mickey had long since stopped sleeping naked. "Let's go eat your yummy pancakes." Mickey sat the girl down, watching her run. "She break the cup she dropped?"

"Nah, dropped a fuckin' coffee cup on a plate; made a bunch of noise, no mess." Ian nodded, watching Mickey turn and exit the room. He smiled at the life they had with their daughter before a dark thought crept into his mind; the memory of the night he nearly lost Mickey and Mayla.

_Ian searched frantically for the gun he'd hidden after Liam had wandered into his and Mickey's room. He told Mickey he got rid of it, and now he just hoped he could find the damn thing._

_"Mickey! Mickey you worthless piece of shit get your ass out here!" Ian heard from the window, causing him to move quicker._

_"Thank fucking God!" He sighed as he found the gun hidden in the back of the drawer that always managed to stick; he knew Mickey wouldn't look their. He took off down the stairs, Fiona and Kev trying to stop him. "I'm not losing him, Fiona! Let me fuckin' go, Kev!" He managed a swift elbow to the man's stomach, causing him to release Ian. He ran out the door, freezing for a second as he saw Terry on top of Mickey, beating him within an inch of his life._

_Once Terry stood up and aimed the gun at Mickey's head, Ian remembered how to move and fired a shot. Terry fell to the ground in a heap before Ian ran down the steps, kneeling next to Mickey. "Come on, baby, wake up!" He begged, checking Mickey's vitals and almost crying in pure fucking joy when he felt a pulse. "Fi! Call 911!" He yelled towards the house with no intention of leaving Mickey's side ever again._

"Daddy! Come eat!" Mayla's voice tore him from his memory, reminding him that he still had his baby. He wiped his eyes quickly, not wanting her to see her father crying.

"Daddy's coming, princess!" He called back. He walked out of the bedroom, ready to spend his birthday with the love of his life and his baby girl.


	9. Your Biggest Fan

"Got any big plans tonight, birthday boy?" Sue asked as they scrubbed the rig down that afternoon.

"My sister wants to do some big fuckin' blow out this weekend, but for tonight it's just May, Mickey, and I." Ian would be much happier if his birthday breakfast Mayla insisted on and his night at home with his two favorite people was the extent of his birthday, but he knew better by now. "And I told you last week I hate my birthday." All his birthday did was reminded him that Monica would always be connected to his very existence.

"You're twenty, Gallagher; that's too damn young to hate your birthday." If she knew how much he fucking hated his mother for being the catalyst behind the night he almost lost everything, she'd feel differently. "Got daddy issues or somethin'?" Sue asked her partner, watching him as he continued to clean.

"More like mommy issues." He wished she'd drop the subject, because Monica and Terry were subjects he tried to avoid as much as humanly possible.

"Your fan boy's back." She mumbled, cocking her head towards the doors. Ian sighed, turning to see the firefighter-Kaden? Cal? Something like that-who couldn't take a fucking hint waltzing in. "Dude's fuckin' obsessed." Sue had witnessed Ian turning the man down several times, yet he kept coming back.

"Yeah, tell me about it." Ian went back to work, completely ignoring the older man as he approached the rig.

"Sue." He greeted with a smile he obviously thought was charming. "Friend of mine who works here said it was your birthday, red." Ian almost gagged; this guy could not wrap his head around the fact that Ian wasn't interested.

"Yeah." He didn't look up. He was sure some people would find him attractive, but he preferred blue eyes to brown, silky black hair to a shaved head, and porcelain skin over the other man's dark complexion.

"Thought you might wanna go out tonight to celebrate; twenty-one, right?" Ian heard Sue try to cover her laughter at his desperation with a cough.

"Twenty. And still not interested, Kaden." He just wanted to finish work, go home, and lay on his shitty little second-hand couch with Mickey as Mayla sits in the floor watching cartoons.

"Caleb." He corrected, even if he didn't seem at all dejected. "Come on, man. I'm a hot firefighter; I don't have to keep chasing your ass."

"Then by all means stop. I'm sure my husband would appreciate it." This wasn't the first time he'd told Caleb he was married, and he's sure it wouldn't be the last.

"Don't gotta make shit up to get my attention." Caleb flirted, only succeeding to infuriate Ian. "Already have it."

"Not making shit up." He pulled off his glove-that he had to switch out after accidently catching it on the door and tearing it, anyway-showing Caleb the simple silver band on his left ring finger. "So do me a favor-two, actually-leave so I can get back to work, and stop chasing me around, because it's really fuckin' sad."

"How's May doin' with her pre-school prep?" Sue broke her silence, trying to help Ian when Caleb made no move to leave.

"Better; still havin' some trouble spellin' her name, though." Ian felt the smile he always wore when talking about his daughter creeping on to his face. "Mick's started breakin' it down more; taught her to spell "May" a few weeks ago."

"Just like it sounds, right? M-A-Y-L-A?" Caleb was staring at Ian with wide eyes, now, wondering who the hell Mayla was.

"Yeah. We found this thing on Facebook where you write each name on long legos and each letter on smaller ones to teach them to spell it. We're gonna try that with her full name." Ian informed his co-worker.

"What is her full name?" Sue asked, hoping that once Caleb heard Mayla's full name he'd leave.

"Mayla Katelyn Gallagher." He loved every fucking thing about that little girl, including the name he and Mickey had chosen for her.

"You have a kid?" Caleb asked Ian, giving him a seething look as if Ian had cheated on him or something.

"A daughter; she's three." Ian said with a nod. "The love of my fuckin' life." It wad true; she had been since he was sure that positive pregnancy test was Mickey's four years earlier.

"Kid looks more like Mickey every time I see her." Ian nodded in agreement, knowing very well his daughter looked more like his husband than himself. "Those big green eyes are all you, though."

"We're gonna have a problem when she starts dating." Ian grimaced, hoping his daughter would wait until she was thirty to date. "Or we'll just never let her leave the house."

"Bye, Caleb!" Sue yelled as he stomped away. "Guess all it took was knowing you've got a baby."

"Don't let May hear that; she's convinced she's a big girl." Ian hated that his baby girl was growing up on them. He wanted her to stay little forever; to still crawl in bed with them when she had a nightmare and need them to help her reach anything over her head. "Wish she'd slow down."

"You two are still young; you can have more." She patted his leg as she stood up, offering him her hand. "We're done here. Get home to your man and that little angel." Ian agreed, but his mind was stuck on the idea of him and Mickey having another child, someday. He didn't want more now; he was enjoying their little family the way it was. But someday, he'd love to have another child with the man he loves.


	10. Sing Me To Sleep

"Think the asshole's done with his high school shit?" Mickey asked his husband as they entered their bedroom after they tucked their daughter in that night. He had told Mickey what had happened when he got home, resulting in Mickey nearly falling over laughing.

"I hope so; asshole acts like I should drop to my knees and suck his dick on the spot." Mickey chuckled, stepping closer to his husband, wrapping his arms around his neck.

"Oh yeah? You gonna do it?" The humor in his voice made Ian smirk, leaning in to slot his lips with his husbands. He'd never get tired of kissing mickey; his full, soft lips were addicting. The taste of his mint toothpaste, the cigarettes he'd smoked during his work day (the couple agreed not to smoke in their apartment after finding out Mayla was asthmatic), and a unique taste he could only associate with Mickey.

 "Didn't answer my question." Mickey mused as their lips separated.

"I'd rather suck your dick." Ian shot back, nipping at Mickey's bottom lip. "Clothes off." Mickey rolled his eyes, but started undoing his belt none the less. Ian couldn't look away from Mickey as he dropped his jeans to floor. "You're so fucking beautiful." Ian couldn't help declaring.

"Shut the fuck up and get over here." Mickey was still self conscious about his body after his pregnancy, though Ian wasn't sure why; Mickey had always been muscular, but his arms were actually more toned than before (more than likely do to his work as a mechanic), his stomach had recovered well (even with the stretch marks left over) and was actually flatter than before his pregnancy, and his  _fucking legs!_ Ian would never get enough of those thick thighs.

Ian marched over, pulling Mickey's shirt off (ignoring the grimace on his face) before reconnecting their lips. When his tongue met Mickey's he couldn't hold back his moan, getting an airy laugh from Mickey. As they continued to kiss he palmed Mickey through his black boxer briefs, causing his breath to hitch. He couldn't take it, anymore; he needed Mickey naked.

"Love you so fucking much." He moaned as the other man's underwear hit the floor. "So fucking perfect." He took Mickey's hard cock in his hand, earning a gorgeous moan from those lips he loved so much as he pumped his hand up and down the thick shaft in his hand.

"Ian." Mickey moaned lowly, head thrown back in pleasure. "Fuck, don't stop." Ian didn't plan on it; he wanted to watch Mickey fall apart.

"Daddy!" Mayla yelled, ruining the moment for the couple.

"God fuckin' damn it." Mickey muttered, swatting Ian's hand away and pulling his boxer briefs back up. "Kid's are fuckin' cock blockers." Ian laughed, despite agreeing with Mickey.

"Sorry, baby." He kissed Mickey's cheek, leaving Mickey alone in their room. He walked to Mayla's room, seeing the girl sitting up in her bed, holding the stuffed pink Elephant Mandy had gotten her for her first birthday-who Mayla named "Bunny"-clutched to her chest. "What's up, princess?" He asked as he took a seat on the edge of the small toddler bed.

"Bad dream." She spoke lowly, sniffing as she buried her face against the elephant. "I pee." She whispered, embarrassed. Ian nodded, remembering the girl's pout every night when they made her wear a pull-up to bed.

"It's okay, princess." He soothed, scooping her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her soft ebony hair. "You remember your dream?"

"You no love me no more." She sobbed, clutching her father's t-shirt. "You say I bad." Her words broke his heart; how could he not love this sweet girl?

"That's never gonna happen, May; daddy loves you so, so much." He held her tighter, wishing his words would stop his girl's tears. "You're daddy's favorite person other than mama."

"I sleep with you?" She asked, looking up st Ian with wide, tearful green eyes.

"Of course you can, May." He would never admit out loud that he slept better with both Mickey and Mayla next to him. "Come on; we'll get you cleaned up and go to bed with mama." Mayla nodded against Ian's shoulder as he stood up, holding her tightly to his broad chest. Sure he wasn't going to get laid tonight, but he could think of worse ways to spend his night than holding his little girl and his beautiful man while he slept.


	11. You Are My Sunshine

Mickey woke up to a sloppy kiss being placed at the tip of his nose accompanied by a sweet little laugh. Mickey knew that laugh without being fully awake, any day; it was easily one of his favorite sounds in the world. "Morning, May." He murmured, opening his arms so she could cuddle into his chest.

Most of the time, Mayla was a daddy's girl; staying glued to Ian's side any chance she got. But mornings were always set aside for Mickey. "Morning, dosyt'." He laughed a little at the irony, here; the girl couldn't spell her name yet, but could speak a second language. "I miss you!" She said this every morning, as if sleeping meant Mickey wasn't around.

"I missed you, too." He did; he missed his Mayla any time she wasn't right beside him. He thought back to a time when he thought he was horrible with children, or that anything was better than getting pregnant, and wondered how he could have thought that way. Mayla snuggled deeper into his chest, inhaling his natural scent the way Ian did when he'd hug him. "Daddy at work, already?"

Mayla shrugged her tiny shoulders-an indicator that she was barely awake, herself-and clenched his t-shirt in her tiny hands. How the hell could one little person be two people's whole world? "I sleep with you?" She asked in a barely there mumble.

"Yeah, princess." He lived for these mornings; where he could lay in bed and hold his baby girl as she slept without worrying about getting up for work. "Mama lyubytʹ tebe, malyatko." He whispered into her dark locks, knowing that between his mother, Mandy, and Iggy she'd learned enough Ukrainian to understand.

"Lyublyu tebe, mamo." She replied simply, before the only sounds in the room were Mickey's soft breathing and Mayla's little snores.

 

"Mayla Katelyn Gallagher, put it down!" Mickey's stern voice stopped the girl's laughter as she bounced in the isle of the grocery store, holding an armful of candy he'd already told her she couldn't have.

"Mama..." She turned her skillful puppy dog eyes to her father-mother, if you asked her-and stuck her full bottom lip out in an exaggerated pout. "Please?" She begged, well aware her parents had a hard time telling her "no" when she was about to cry.

"No, put it down. Thought you wanted to make daddy lunch and take it to him?" Mayla perked up, her eyes now bright with excitement as she nodded frantically, her long pigtails bouncing as she did. "Then put the candy down so we can go home and make lunch for daddy." This was their Saturday routine; Ian worked an earlier shift while Mickey and Mayla slept in, Mickey and Mayla would make Ian lunch and take it to him at work, and when he got home they'd go to Fiona's for dinner.

"What we make?" She asked, carefully placing each candy bar back in the right place. Even though she she could act up when she wanted something-and Mickey supposed that was most three-year-olds-she was a genuinely good child; her toys were always cleaned up when she was done playing, she said "please" and "thank you", and she never through temper tantrums. They were both aware of how lucky they were for this.

"Gonna make him some rabbit food." Mayla was laughing, again. She loved when Mickey called salad "rabbit food" for some unknown reason. "We're havin' mac-n-cheese, kiddo." He was the one laughing when she started doing a little happy dance. "You're something else, Mayla Gallagher."

"She's adorable." A man said as he came to a stop next to Mickey.

"Thanks." He replied. He knew his daughter was adorable; he saw it, everyday and heard it enough. "Thought you were pickin' out candy for daddy?" He cocked his head to appear confused. Mayla gasped, having forgotten her task, before looking back at the candy display.

"Did I hear you say her name was Mayla Gallagher?" The man asked as Mickey watched Mayla search for the right candy.

"Yeah?" Mickey was getting a weird vibe from this dude, and he really just wanted to take Mayla and get out of here.

"I know a guy with a daughter named Mayla Gallagher; name's Ian." Saying his husband's name did little to calm Mickey's nerves. "Sorry, probably seem like some freak. Caleb Daniels." He introduced himself. This was the guy who kept hitting on his husband.

"May, you got it?" She nodded, holding up a Snicker's bar. "Up we go." He groaned, pretending that lifting the small girl was a real struggle, before placing her in the front of his shopping cart and walking away from the man.

"I'm not the only guy after him. And you're nothing special; a piece of Southside trash. He'll realize, someday he could do better." Caleb called as Mickey pushed the cart out of the isle. Mickey knew Ian could do better; he didn't need a reminder.

"Ty moye sonechko." Mayla sang in Ukrainian, and suddenly everything felt better; he had his Mayla, so everything was okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> dosytʹ-pretty  
> Mama lyubytʹ tebe, malyatko.-Mama loves you, little one.  
> lyublyu tebe, mamo-Love you, mama.  
> Ty moye sonechko-you are my sunshine.
> 
> Wanted some cute Mickey/Mayla time.


	12. Kiss Me Like You Wanna Be Loved

Mickey was eerily quiet all through lunch-smiling politely at Mayla when she would say something to him-and acting completely different than his usual self. "May, go play in the sandbox for a minute so daddy and mama can talk?" Mayla nodded, hopping off Ian's lap and running to the sandbox at the small park they ate at every Saturday. "What's up with you?" Ian asked his husband once his daughter was out of earshot.

"You ever think we made a mistake?" Mickey asked, eyes glues to Mayla as she played. He didn't want to have this conversation, but he knew Ian well enough to know he wouldn't fucking drop it if he didn't.

"With what?" He fallowed Mickey's line of sight, feeling sick to his stomach when he realized he was looking straight at Mayla. "You better just fuckin' be talking about not cutting her hair." He seethed, hating the very idea of his daughter not being in his life.

"Not her." Mickey amended, knowing he could never have lived with himself if he had aborted his beautiful baby. "Gettin' married." That didn't help him, much, because now Ian was looking at him like he was crazy. "We were really fuckin' young when we got married, man."

"So?" Ian didn't like this; was Mickey regretting it? Was he second-guessing his choice to marry him? "What brought this shit on?"

"We didn't  _have_ to get married just 'cause I was pregnant, man; coulda still seen May any time you wanted." Mickey continued as if Ian hadn't said anything. "You're only twenty and you've been married for almost four fuckin' years."

"I don't know about you, but I didn't marry you because of Mayla; I married you because I love you." Ian didn't want to cry; Mayla would worry if she saw her father crying. "Mickey, tell me what's goin' on, 'cause you're scarin' the shit out of me right now."

"You even know how hot you are?" Mickey asked, still looking at Mayla over the redhead next to him. "You could have some rich Northside fucker bowin' down at your feet." He kept a glimmer of hope in the back of his mind that Ian wouldn't care; that he'd still love him even now.

"Like I give a shit about some other guy. I'd choose you over anyone, baby." Ian wiped his eyes, turning so his daughter wouldn't see his tears. "And have you seen yourself? You're beautiful, Mick."

"Damaged goods; stretch marks and a kid don't exactly scream hot." Mickey tried to joke. This conversation could mean the end of his marriage, but he didn't want Ian crying. "Just a piece of fuckin' Southside trash who got knocked up when he was seventeen."

"Who the Hell said that?" Ian knew his husband; he wasn't ashamed of how old he was when he had Mayla or where he grew up. This was someone else's doing. "Who cares if you're Southside? So am I! So is Mayla." Ian was praying to a God he didn't even believe in that Mickey wasn't about to leave him.

"Ian, man, you work on the fuckin' Northside. These guys look at you and they want you. So go for it; won't fuckin' hurt my feelings. Just... Don't ditch May; kids thinks you're a superhero." Mickey waited. He waited for his heart to get crushed, but Ian said nothing, just pulled Mickey to him and kissed him with all of the passion and love he could muster up.

"You ever say that shit again and I'm kuckin' your ass." He whispered into Mickey's mouth. "I love you, and I have since I was a damn kid. I don't want anyone else and I never fuckin' will." He pecked Mickey's lips softly. "Please say you love me, Mick."

"I love you." Mickey really did; the only person he loved more was currently laughing at her own antics in the sandbox. "Even if you're too fuckin' good for me."

"Not possible." Ian silenced him with another kiss before turning to watch Mayla. "Who was it?"

"Don't matter; he just wants you for himself. Can't say I blame him." Ian cracked a smile, lacing his fingers through Mickey's.

"Ain't gonna get me." He reassured Mickey softly. "May! Daddy's gotta get back to work, come give me kisses!" Mickey felt fucking stupid for letting his insecurity get the better of him; Ian loved him, so it didn't fucking matter who else wanted him. He smiled when Ian lifted Mayla over his head, blowing raspberries into her belly as she laughed that beautiful laugh Mickey loved so much.

Yeah, other guys would want him, but Mickey was the only one who got the big ginger dork making faces at his-their-daughter.

 


	13. I Think You're My Best Friend

"You can't fuckin' pick Mickey!" Mandy exclaimed as the Gallagher family-plus Katia and Iggy Milkovich and Kev and Vee-when Liam asked who everyone's best friend was; Fiona said Vee, Debbie chose Mandy, Lip chose Ian, and Ian chose Mickey. "You fuckin' married him!"

"You love best friend." Mayla chimed in, leaning against Mickey's side. "Daddy love mama."

"Different kind of love, angel face." Lip told his niece, kissing her head. "Daddy loves mama like Uncle Lip loves Aunt Mandy."

"Mama my best friend." She countered, surprising Mickey; she was so obsessed with Ian he expected her to chose him. "Mama play with me, make me food, and tell me stories." Ian looked so much happier than anyone could imagine. He wasn't jealous of his husband, he was proud that his daughter could see how much love Mickey felt for her. "Mama take care of daddy when he sick, he make daddy food, and hug daddy when daddy sad. He daddy best friend, Uncey Yip."

"Why the Hell is the three-year-old smarter than adults?" Vee asked, reaching over to brush hair away from Mayla's face.

"Gallagher genes, my friend." Frank chimed in. He had surprised everyone by being a good grandfather to Mayla. "Girl's a little genius." He said with great pride.

"Ganpa." Mayla laughed affectionately. Mayla loved her Grandpa frank and Grandma Katie (she hadn't mastered saying Katia quite yet) and very often chose them over her parents. "I smart like Uncey Yip?" She asked, still giggling, mainly due to her lack of understanding of what he said.

"Smarter." Katia agreed. "Baby girl is the smartest Gallagher." Mayla preened.

"Mama, I smart!" Mickey nodded in agreement, kissing her forehead. "I be smart like mama and daddy when I get big?" Mickey froze. His daughter thought  _he was smart?_ How could the girl who was growing up with Lip Gallagher as her Uncle and Ian as her father think  _he_ was smart?

"Mama's not that smart, May." He said softly to the girl crawling into his lap; a clear sign she was tired.

"Mama very smart." She countered. "Mama is smart and my best friend," She leaned around Mickey, looking at Ian very seriously. "I share, daddy. Don't be sad." 

"Thank you, princess." Everyone was looking at the little girl in awe, now, wondering how a child who was half Gallagher and half Milkovich could be so sweet. "You sleepy, May?" She nodded, hugging Mickey for dear life. "You want mama to carry you to the car?" 

"Yes. Mama carry me." She was barely audible, but after years of living with the girl, he knew to listen closely when she was tired. "Mama hold me til we home?"

"No, princess; you gotta sit in your car seat." Mickey stood up carefully, balancing the girl on his hip. The family quietly wished the two men walked to their car with their sleeping daughter.

 

"Think she'll always be this sweet?" Ian whispered as he laid down next to his husband and daughter.

"I hope." Mickey replied, not looking away from the sleeping girl. She was so gentle; so loving, he would never change his girl for anything. "She's fuckin' perfect."

"Yeah. She really is." Ian agreed, laying an arm across Mayla to hold both her and Mickey. "We did good."

"Somehow." Mickey laced his fingers with Ian's as the redhead rested his hand on Mickey's hip. "You got the little girl you used to dream of." Mickey said, suddenly remembering Ian telling him about his dreams of a beautiful little girl with his hair and Ian's eyes.

"Nah, she's so much better than I dreamed of." Ian mumbled as he closed his eyes, resting his face against Mayla's hair. "Next kid's got a lot to fuckin' live up to." Mickey knew his husband was essentially asleep, so he didn't question him, but he couldn't help but think about it.

What would another child look like? Would they look more like Ian? Would they have his laugh? And, more importantly, would he actually want another child any time soon?

Mickey would never deny loving Mayla; Hell, he actually thought having (and keeping) her was the best decision he ever made. That being said, they lived in a small, two bedroom apartment; they simply didn't have room in their home for another child. Mickey fell asleep to thoughts of the future; buying a house, having a second (and possibly third) child with Ian, and watching their family grow.

He may not be ready right now, but Mickey wanted all of that, someday in the future.


	14. With A Smile That's My Own

"This Aunny Fi work?" Mayla asked Ian as they walked into Patsy's Pies. Mayla was barely fighting the yawn the fell from her lips as she walked. Sundays were "daddy and May" day; Mickey always worked on Sundays and Ian didn't, so he'd spend the whole day with Mayla, either just playing with her, or he'd take her to the park before they'd take Mickey his lunch. Because Ian couldn't cook for shit, they usually picked him up something or made him a sandwich.

"Leave, Ian." Fiona whispered fiercely, standing so Mayla was blocked from the entirety of the restaurant.

"Why?" He asked, confused by his sister's wide eyes and fidgeting hands as she spoke. "What's goin' on? I told you last night I was gonna come here to get Mick's lunch, today."

"Change of plans. Dad's gonna drop it off to you; I know what Mickey gets and what May gets, I ordered you the Crispy Chicken sandwich." Fiona glanced down at May, offering a clearly forced smile. "Chicken strips with fries, right, munchkin?" Mayla nodded, too tired to speak at the moment. "She's back; showed up at the house last night screamin' for you then fallowed me here demandin' to know where you are."

Ian tightened his hand slightly around his daughter's. He hadn't seen Monica in years, and had planned to keep that trend going; she was nothing to him. "Where is she?" He asked, hoping Mayla didn't pick up on his tension.

"Bathroom." Ian nodded, looking around the restaurant for any sign of Hurricane Monica. He really needed a fucking smoke, but he wasn't putting Mayla at risk of an asthma attack because he was nervous. "Dad here?"

"No, I texted him to let him know when to pick up the food. Go, out back, Ian; I'll have Mandy take May to my office. Just come back in the back door and get her. Mandy!" Mandy jogged over, looking just as nervous as Fiona and Ian. "Take your break." She scooped May up, passing her quickly to Mandy. "Take it in my office."

Mandy nodded in understanding, dashing towards Fiona's office with the half asleep child in her arms. "Go. You need it." Ian nodded, thankful his sister was as protective of his little girl as he and Mickey were. "My waitresses can't hog the stalls forever, so hurry."

"Ian!" 'Too late' Ian thought as soon as he heard Monica. "Look how handsome you are!" Monica shouted, running towards him with her arms outstretched. Ian made a conscious effort to hide the tattoo on the inside of his right bicep of Mayla's name-knowing it was visible past the sleeve of his t-shirt-as she finally reached him. "I did a damn good job makin' you."

"Need a smoke." Ian mumbled, marching out of the diner and around the back as if Monica hadn't been there. He fished the pack of smokes and lighter out of his pocket, ready to feel the buzz of nicotine through his system. He assumed Monica would be licking her wounds so he allowed his arm to relax, smiling down at the simple, elegant font that spelled out his daughter's name as he smoked.

"Ian?" He couldn't catch a fucking break with this woman! "Baby, talk to me!" She begged as Ian completely ignored her presence, giving her "the chin" as Mickey liked to call it. "Why won't you talk to me?" Her voice softened; she was either genuinely hurt or approaching a low; you could never tell with Monica.

"Nothing to fuckin' say to you." He simply stated, wishing he could find a way to ditch her so he could retrieve Mayla. "Leave me alone, Monica." It felt odd to call her "Monica" now that the whole family called Frank "dad", but he had proven himself; he treated Mickey like family and loved Mayla. He may still be a drunk, but he was trying to be a good father, grandfather, and father-in-law.

"Who's Mayla?" She asked, having spotted his tattoo. "I thought you were gay?"

"Am." Ian snuffed out his cigarette, still trying to think of a way to slip away from her to get to his daughter; he needed his baby girl in his arms right now to calm his nerves after Monica had ruined his smoke.

"Ian?" Ian turned to see Mandy standing at the back door. "Problem." That always meant a nightmare. He rushed towards the door, ignoring Monica as he made his way into the restaurant, already hearing Mayla crying. As he entered Fiona's small office he spotted her sitting on the tiny couch with Mayla in her arms.

"Hey, princess." He whispered, kneeling to Mayla's eye level. "Bad dream?" She nodded, still crying on Fiona's shoulder. "Hey, don't cry; daddy's here." Mayla blindly reached for Ian. "Come on, May. Grandpa Frank's gonna come see us." Mayla didn't speak, just pushed herself into Ian's arms.

"Who's this?" Mandy was the first to act, moving to the door to protect her niece at all costs. "Ian, who is that?" He didn't answer, he just to hug Mayla to his chest, more. "Is that Mayla?" Mayla lifted her head slightly when she heard her name.

"Get the fuck outta here, Monica." Mandy sneered, making sure Monica couldn't see Mayla. "No one wants you here after the shit you pulled last time."

"He's my son!" She screeched, causing Mayla to flinch and cry harder. Ian tried to soothe his daughter, fearing she would cause herself to have an asthma attack from how hard she was crying. "How?!" She demanded, obviously referring to how the girl was alive.

"Ian was a better fucking parent before that girl was born than you've been to any of your kids their whole lives." Mayla was gasping for breath as Mandy spoke, having upset herself far too much.

"Fiona!" Fiona nodded, knowing Ian needed her to get Mayla's inhaler out of his backpack. She quickly found the small, pink inhaler, handing it to Ian so he could administer it to his daughter. "May, princess, deep breath." He calmly told her as he held it to her lips. Mayla took a shaky breath as Ian pressed down the top of her inhaler, stuttering to regain her breathing. Mandy had ahold of Monica's arm and hair, keeping her from entering the room as Ian finally calmed his baby down.

"You're okay, princess." He shushed, rocking her slightly as she finally began to breathe normally again. "Everything's gonna be okay."

"How?" Monica asked again, watching her son with the small girl in his arms.

"Because I saved my daughter and my husband when you sicked Terry on them." Ian seethed, trying not to yell and frighten Mayla again.

"I was helping you!" She yelled as Mandy tried to pull the older woman out of the room.

"Helping me?! You tried to get my fiancée and my child killed! You were being fucking selfish, as always, Monica!" Ian calmed himself down a little, knowing Mayla didn't need this. "But you know what? Thanks. Because of you, I know what not to do with my daughter." He pushed past Monica, nearly running into Frank, holding a bag of food in one hand, and another bag from the grocery store a block over in the other.

"Got Mick the red Gatorade he likes, got you a bottle of water, and May one of those weird juice things with a Hello Kitty head on the top." Ian was thankful that at least his father cared for his daughter.

"Thanks, dad. You married a fucking bitch." He said, taking the bags from Frank, ready to get far away from Monica; to get his daughter far away from her.


	15. I'm Gonna Love Yo Til, My Lungs Give Out

"You gonna be okay?" Mickey asked as they ate lunch-Mayla having fallen asleep as soon as she was close to Mickey-after Ian told him what happened at the diner. He had been justifiably pissed when Ian mentioned Mayla's asthma attack, but had stayed quiet until Ian was done talking.

"I don't know; I feel like a dick for givin' my dad a chance, but not Monica." Ian said honestly as he un-screwed the lid of his water bottle. Frank had never been a model-or even decent-father until he found out he was going to be a grandfather, yet now he was attentive to his children and his grandchild.

"Frank never tried to hurt her." Mickey spoke, as if he were able to read Ian's mind. "And he's never caused the poor kid to have a fuckin' asthma attack." Mickey had always hated Monica, but it intensified when he almost lost the little girl clutching his hand in her sleep.

_Mickey woke up to beeping machines and something resting on his stomach. He remembered his father beating him half to death and a gun, but he was obviously alive, if the pain in his head was anything to go by._

_"Hey." He heard from his right; Ian was here. "Don't try to move." He warned. "Doctor said it'd be tough for awhile."_

_"Baby?" He was fuzzy, but he remembered that all of this happened because he was pregnant. He didn't remember Terry getting in any particularly good hits to his stomach, but he had also been prepared to die. If he was alive, he was hoping his child was._

_"Doctor's monitoring it; said it'd be touch and go." Ian sounded exhausted and slightly haunted. "I killed Terry." He admitted in a whisper. "He was gonna kill you and the baby; couldn't let him."_

_Mickey wished he could comfort Ian; tell him that they were fine, but he didn't know if their baby was. He had fallen so in love with it already, and he may have lost it because he didn't listen to everyone trying to stop him from confronting Terry. He felt a tear slip from his left eye, stinging slightly as it hit a cut on his cheek._

_"Mayla." Ian said, confusing Mickey's already fuzzy brain. "If she lives-and is a girl, I mean-that's what we should name her." He told his fiancée, taking his hand._

_"What's it mean?" Mickey asked, surprised with the amount of-of obviously pretty damn good-drugs in his system that he got that out._

_"Dark; can't have a fuckin' darker beginning than she's getting." Mickey agreed, but didn't want to say it; her own grandfather had tried to kill her for Christ's sake!_

_"Mayla Gallagher." He tried it on his tongue, loving the sound, even to his own stoned ears._

_"She's a Gallagher?" Ian asked, voice happier than he expected in the current situation._

_"I'm gonna be one after we get hitched and you're one... Why wouldn't she be?" Mickey didn't know how they'd take it if the baby wasn't a girl, now; he was determined to think his baby would make it._

_"What's Mama's middle name?" Ian asked quietly._

_"Taya... Not namin' my kid Mayla Taya; sounds fuckin' weird." Ian laughed in agreement. "Kinda like Katelyn; close to Ma's name, but not her name." He didn't make sense to himself._

_"Mayla Katelyn Gallagher." Ian tried, smiling at the beautiful name. "I like it."_

_"She's gonna be okay, babe." Mickey comforted, eyes drooping slightly. "Half Gallagher and half Milkovich; kid's gonna be fuckin' tough."_

"She's not gonna get that close to May again. I promise." Ian whispered with conviction. "You and this girl? You're the people I care about most. Fuck Monica." Mickey lifted Ian's chin, placing a kiss on his lips.

"I know." Mickey whispered, honestly. He knew Ian would protect their girl with his life; just like he would.


	16. And I Sing Along, But, Acadia Is Gone

"How are Ian and May doin' after Monica's little show at Patsy's?" Lip asked a week later when he and Mickey snuck off to smoke a joint while Mandy and Ian played outside with Mayla. "Mands said if she wasn't scared a customer would see and lose her her fuckin' job she would've killed her." He passed the joint to Mickey, waiting for him to answer.

"May's fine; after she slept off the headache she got from the asthma attack she was back to normal." Mickey took a drag off the joint, enjoying being able to relax with his brother-in-law. "Ian's been actin' okay, but he still wishes Monica'd try." 

"He thinks he's just like her; think he's scared he'll act like her when May has kids." Lip reluctantly said as Mickey passed the joint back to him. "Don't think you'd be able to force him away from May, though." Mickey snorted, nodding his agreement.

"Loves the girl more than he loves me." He laughed. He knew his husband loved him, but the way Ian loved his daughter was something else, entirely.

"She's definitely nicer." Mickey punched Lip's arm, hard. "Fucker." Lip chuckled, rubbing his sore arm. "Mayla's never fuckin' hit me."

"'Cause she don't know you're an asshole, yet." He replied, snatching the joint from Lip.

"Never told me where that name came from." Lip thought out loud, leaning back against the wall. "It Ukrainian?"

"Nah, Ian came up with it; think he said it was Scandinavian or some shit." Mickey mused, feeling the deeply relaxing buzz all through his body. "Means dark."

"Guess it fits with how fucked up the shit with Terry and Monica was." Lip hated to think of that night as much as Mickey and Ian; he spent the whole time holding Mandy as she cried herself out in his arms. "Where'd Katelyn come from?"

"Ian wanted to name her after Ma, But Mayla Katia sounded sorta weird and Mayla Taya sounds like a fuckin' porn star, so I came up with Katelyn 'cause people used to call Ma Katie." Lip wasn't used to Mickey talking this much. He figured it was because he didn't get to smoke much these days.

"Katia Taya Milkovich... Damn that's a mouthful." Lip commented, off handedly.

"Katia Taya Tyshchenko's harder; first time I met any of Ma's family from Ukraine I couldn't even fuckin' say it." Mickey laughed at the memory of his four-year-old self stumbling on his mother's Maiden name.

"Her family's still in Ukraine?" Lip was actually surprised by this; he always thought Katia was raised in the United States, even with her strong accent.

"Moved here to go to College, but met Terry. Got pregnant with Iggy after a month and he told her she couldn't go; had a full Scholarship to DePaul." Mickey hated that his mother missed out on something she had looked forward to, though she said she wouldn't trade her children for anything, even if she hated their father.

"What was her major gonna be?" Lip wanted to keep Mickey talking; he was learning more about his brother-in-law right now than he had in all the years he'd known him.

"Neuroscience." Lip's eyes widened; he knew Katia Milkovich was intelligent, but he hadn't realized the extant. "Still tryin' to get me to go for fuckin' Mathematics." He'd always known Mickey was good with numbers; he'd found himself amazed by it more than once.

"Do it!" Lip exclaimed, knowing Mickey was more than capable and how proud Ian would be of his husband if he went to college.

"With what money? I got a kid, man; little fuckers are expensive." He knew getting a degree was hard enough when you had the time and money, but he worked a full-time job and had a young child at home. How the hell would he manage it?

"Submit an essay about the shit you've overcome; growing up gay in a homophobic neighborhood with an abusive, homophobic father, getting pregnant while you were still in high school but still managing to become a certified mechanic, and you and your husband working full-time while raising the child you had as a teenager." Lip made a good point; on paper, he sounded like some superhuman shit. "Plus, imagine how fuckin' proud Mayla would be once she gets older and realizes how much you accomplished while still making time for her."

"Want more kids, someday." He wasn't sure if he was saying this as an excuse not to go or a reason  _to_ go; if he had a college education and a better job, they could actually afford a bigger place.

"Mick, man, I can be an asshole, but I care about your ass; you should do this. If not for you, then for Ian and Mayla... They'd both be so fuckin' proud of you." Damn him bringing that shit up.

"I'll think about it." They'd long since finished their joint. "Better get downstairs before your brother or May start lookin' for me." Mickey didn't want Lip to know he was crafting that fucking essay in his head. He was going to do to this; going to show Mayla being born and raised on the Southside doesn't mean you can't accomplish anything.


	17. The Essay

_When I was born, my father wasn't there to cut my umbilical cord because he was supposed to be serving three years in a state prison for breaking probation. He was released after a year, and my older brother suffered a broken arm, collar bone, nose, eye socket, and several ribs; he was trying to keep my drunken father away from me, because-despite being able to talk-I could only speak my mother's first language, Ukrainian. My younger sister was born while he was supposed to be serving five years. He was released after three, and my sister and I had to learn to speak English to appease him._

_I was raised in a homophobic neighborhood, with the biggest homophobe being my father, and had to learn to hide who I was in public at ten when I realized I was gay. The only person who knew before I was fifteen was my mother, who would never have told him; she knew he would have killed me-no way would one of_ his  _sons be a faggot-and she would not let that happen. At fifteen, I fell in love with my best friend; the only friend I had ever had-because my father couldn't keep a job, and my mother's waitressing job couldn't keep the gas on at all times so we wouldn't have hot water, meaning there were times I couldn't bathe and children can be cruel to the dirty kid-and learned men don't hurt the people they love. At fifteen, I also learned I was a carrier, meaning I had to hide getting birth control so my father wouldn't know that secret, either._

_At seventeen, my birth control failed and I got pregnant. I was terrified; as much as I loved my boyfriend and wanted my child, the neighborhood we lived in was dangerous for two gay kids as it was, and my father wouldn't stay in prison, forever. My boyfriend's mother-who had hated me since I was a child-overheard us talking to the woman who raised him-his sister-about our child. She told my recently released father, who was then on a mission to kill my now fiancé, myself, and our unborn baby. Not wanting anything to happen to my fiancé, I decided to face my father._

_At seventeen, my father beat me half to death-causing me to almost lose my child-and aimed a gun at my head before my fiancé-who, unbeknownst to me at the time, had run off to look for the gun I had that he told me he threw in the river-had to kill my father to save us; to save his family. When I was released from the hospital, we got married. We had to have permission from my mother and his guardian because he was only sixteen and I was still seventeen. The boy who taught me love didn't have to hurt, had proven, yet again, that love could be a good thing._

_At eighteen, I gave birth to our daughter, Mayla Katelyn Gallagher; I had to miss my graduation to recover. At nineteen, I was able to quit my job that I had since the age of sixteen at the meatpacking plant after becoming a certified mechanic. My husband, our daughter, and I were living in a small bedroom at my mother's house, until-with my new job and my husband's part-time job at a convenience store while he studied to become an EMT and finish high school-we managed to get a small, two bedroom apartment._

_I'm twenty-one now, working full-time, and raising a simply amazing child with the love of my life. I know this essay is probably filled with mistakes, and may not be the most compelling you've read, but I have overcome quite a bit in twenty-one years, and I owe most of that to the man I married; Ian Clayton Gallagher. I want to do this, not just for me, but also to show Ian that everything I've learned from him about perseverance hasn't gone to waste, and to show Mayla that-even with my job and always making time for her-I could accomplish something, and she will be able to do the same._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted the essay's tone to some-what match Mickey, and I don't feel writing would be his strong suit, so forgive all of the run-on sentences.


	18. And I Will Shelter You

Ian knew Mickey had panic attacks when he was younger; he'd witnessed more than one in the fifteen years he'd known him. However, they seemed to have stopped once Mayla was born. That is, until about a month ago, when he started waking up in the middle of the night, drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. He didn't know what brought them on, but he was determined to find out; he couldn't just watch Mickey suffer like this.

It all came to a head one morning when Mayla decided that-instead of a little girl-she was a scary dragon. Mickey was in the kitchen of their apartment, back to the living room as he made his family breakfast, when Mayla snuck up on him and growled. Normally, Mickey would have been aware of her presence and just pretended he was terrified of the "dragon" in his home that had taken the place of his Mayla, but with the lack of sleep he'd been getting, he didn't notice her entering the kitchen.

"Rawr!" Mayla screamed, grabbing Mickey's leg as he prepared scrambled eggs.

"God fucking damn it!" He exclaimed as he jumped back in fear, whipping around as he extracted his leg from her grasp. "Why the fuck would you do that, Mayla?!" He shouted, causing the girl's green eyes to widen; Mickey had never yelled at her, before. He had been stern and given her that Mickey look-eyebrows raised and lips pursed-that told her she was pushing it, but never yelled.

"Mickey." Ian was in shock when he woke up to the sound of Mickey screaming, at first assuming he'd burnt his finger or something, until he heard him scream their daughter's name. "May, come 'ere." He sighed, crouching down so the crying toddler could reach his neck as he scooped her up.

"I dragon and mama yell at me." She sniffed into Ian's shoulder. "Mama not love me?" She asked in a tiny voice that broke both of her parents' hearts simultaneously.

"Mama loves you very much, princess, you just scared him too much." He whispered, glaring daggers at his husband as he shifted his weight uncomfortably from the kitchen. "Can you go to your room for a minute so daddy can have a grownup talk with mama?" Ian asked once Mayla had calmed down in his arms. She reluctantly nodded, patting Ian's shoulder as a signal for him to set her back on the ground.

"I love you, mama." She said in a manner that sounded deeply apologetic before dashing off to her room.

"What the fuck, Mick? She's  _three;_ you can't yell at her, like that!" Ian whisper-yelled, not wanting to upset Mayla any further.

"I don't know, okay? My fuckin' head wasn't with me or somethin'." Mickey turned the stove off before leaning against the counter, eyes closed. Ian could see dark circles contrasting starkly against Mickey's pale skin as he did this, giving him even more evidence that Mickey wasn't sleeping at all. "I didn't mean to yell at her, man, you gotta know that."

"I know, but whatever shit is goin' on in your head? You gotta get it straightened out, because Mayla needs you." Ian stepped closer to his husband, placing a hand on his cheek softly. "What's goin' on, baby?"

"Lotta shit's comin' back up, I guess; with Monica back in town and that stupid fuckin' essay, I just... I don't like to think about it." Mickey had mentioned the essay once in passing, but Ian didn't know what all it contained about Mickey's past. "We coulda lost May." His voice broke as he spoke. Mickey never said those words, out loud; always insisting Mayla was tough from conception and was fine.

"Baby..." Mickey didn't cry, often; he may tear up from time to time, but this? He was full-on sobbing as Ian pulled him into his arms. "She's fine, Mick; she's here, and she's fucking perfect." They said those words, constantly, because they both knew they were true. They had a perfect little girl, who was proof enough that miracles existed.

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" Mickey sobbed, holding Ian as close as humanly possible. "She's a God damn kid and I fuckin' screamed at her for playin', Ian!" Ian wasn't sure how much more his heart could take at this point.

"We'll figure this out, baby. I'm here." It may have been trivial words, but it helped calm Mickey marginally.


	19. We Keep This Love In A Photograph

"People yell at their kids, sometimes, man; no big deal." Lip offered as he sat on the floor of the garage, watching Mickey as he worked under a car. Mickey was still torn up about having yelled at his daughter; he'd never once yelled at her until that morning.

"I don't; always said I wouldn't." Mayla hadn't even really done anything wrong; yes, she scared him, but she wasn't trying to do anything but play a game she'd played a million times before. "Shoulda seen her face, man; thought I didn't love her, anymore." Mickey felt sick thinking his baby could ever feel as if he didn't love her. "I fuckin' blew up at a toddler."

"She knows you love her, Mick." Lip wasn't sure when he and Mickey became such close friends that he was comforting him after a breakdown, but he was just gonna roll with it. "Look, professional opinion? You bottled up your emotions for too long and they got the better of you when you had a moment of vulnerability."

"Not a fuckin' professional, yet." After his first year of college Lip had switched majors to Psychology and found a real nack for it. He was now working on his doctorate.

"It's the time of year; the first year you wouldn't let May out of your sight, then last year you wouldn't sleep for two weeks because you were convinced you'd wake up and the whole time with her would have been nothing but a dream. This year, it's nightmares and anger." Lip made a good point, but he'd gladly take watching his daughter sleep or losing it, himself over the look in Mayla's eyes.

"He shouldn't get to ruin my fuckin' life, anymore." Mickey muttered as he slid out from under the car he'd been working on. "I fuckin' won; my baby lived, I lived, Ian and I got to be a family with Mayla... Terry's dead. He didn't get to take shit from me."

"Except your peace of mind. What he did effected you on such a deep level, because we all want to think our parents love us and would never hurt us; it got worse when you had a child of your own, because you  _do_ love yours and you'd never hurt her." Lip felt proud of the points he was making.

"Think she'll be okay with me?" Mickey asked, seeming self-conscious and unsure even to his own ears.

"Of course. You yelled, but you didn't put a hand on her." Mickey nodded with a grimace; physical abuse was still a touchy subject with him. "When you get home, tell her how much you love her and that you didn't mean to hurt her feelings; she'll be fine."

 

"Hey." Ian greeted when Mickey walked in from work. "May's playin' in her room. Can you tell her dinner's ready?"

"You cooked? I'll pass. Think I speak for the kid, too." Mickey snarked with a small smirk playing on his lips. He felt better after his talk with Lip this afternoon.

"I ordered pizza, asshole; I was just letting hers cool down so we don't have a repeat of last time." Mickey nodded, remembering Mayla trying to take a bite of Ian's hot pizza, burning her tongue, and spending the rest of the night asking if pizza was made by evil dragons who wanted to hurt people's bellies. Mickey took a breath when he reached Mayla's door, hoping she had forgiven him.

"Hey, princess; time to eat." Mayla looked up from the stuffed cat she was playing with, eyes still unsure of how to act around Mickey. "May, mama's sorry... He was just scared." He sat on the floor near her, wishing he could just hug her. "But mama loves you more than anyone, baby girl."

"Why you scared?" She asked, looking back at her cat. "I not real dragon." He would have laughed if she didn't look so sad.

"Because..." He sighed, he never wanted to tell his daughter about Terry, but he knew he couldn't explain it any other way. "When you were still in mama's belly, his daddy got mad. My daddy didn't like that I love your daddy and he hurt me very bad. He almost hurt you, too.

"It's almost the same day he hurt me, and mama always gets a little... Upset, when it's that time, because it makes mama sad that my daddy hurt me and didn't like that I loved another boy." He left out the part where Terry wanted to kill him and his child, because he never wanted his daughter to know what her father had to do to keep them alive.

"Why him not like it?" She asked, looking back at Mickey with those beautiful green eyes. "Him not wanna share him best friend?" He wished she would always stay this innocent.

"No, he didn't like when boys loved boys." Mayla scrunched up her little nose in an adorably confused fashion.

"That not nice." Understatement, Mickey wanted to stay, but he just kept looking at Mayla. "I love you and I love daddy." She told him, crawling closer. "You no mean to yell?" Mickey nodded, not trusting his voice. "I not hurt you, mama." She said with a determination in her voice that reminded him the world of Ian.

"I know." She crawled into his lap and kissed his cheek; he was forgiven. "Mama's sorry, princess."

"It okay. We eat?" Mickey laughed and nodded, picking his sweet little girl up and carrying her out of the room. "I love you till I get old, mama." He had never felt better in his life than he did when he heard Mayla say those words. He took a mental picture of the moment for later; Mayla's head on his shoulder, her arms around his neck as she buried her face in his neck, muffling her words slightly.

Mickey had done a lot of bad in his life, but it all seemed insignificant when someone so innately good loved him the way Mayla did. He must have done something wonderful in his life to deserve this child and the man he created her with.

 


	20. We're Wrapped In Light, In Life, In Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will be the first full chapter set as a flashback. Enjoy!

Mickey _was miserable; he'd been in labor since late the night before, and was approaching mid-afternoon with no sign the baby planned to make her grand entrance any time, soon. Ian remained calm at his side, trying to keep his husband as comfortable as possible through this. "Fuckin' kid wants to kill me," Mickey moaned in pain, squeezing Ian's hand harder than he had on the last contraction. "not even born and she already hates me."_

 _"She doesn't hate you, Mick." Ian stated softly, brushing sweat-drenched hair away from his husband's crimson face. "She's our first baby; doctor told you the first kid always takes longer."_ _Mickey knew; he'd been reminding himself over and over again since three o'clock this morning. That didn't change the fact that he wanted his daughter._

_"Want her here." Mickey managed as he regained his breath. "Just want our fuckin' baby." He remembered when people feared him, now he was whining like a bitch because he wanted to hold a fucking baby! Mickey was too busy trying not to scream at himself to notice the doctor enter the room until she was standing between his legs, telling him she was there to check his progress._

_"Looks like we're ready to start pushing, Mr. Gallagher." He wished he had enough energy after having no sleep to smile at that; not only the fact that he was no longer a Milkovich, but his baby would be here soon. "Next contraction I need you to push for me, okay?" He nodded, too afraid his voice would betray his nervousness._

_"You got this, Mick." Ian whispered in his ear. When he felt the intense pain return to his abdomen he bared down, squeezing Ian's hand tightly. He thought the contractions were bad on their own, but this? This was a fucking nightmare. His whole body hurt, and he felt as if he was accomplishing nothing. "You're doin' so good, baby." Ian's voice grounded him to reality; reminded him he was doing this for them._

_"Take a breather; next contraction you're gonna push, again." The doctor instructed Mickey. He pushed harder this time, wanting this to be done and over with. "I see the head, Mr. Gallagher!" He didn't have time to feel any relief before he had to push again. "Big one, next time and the shoulders will be out."_

_Mickey did as instructed before slumping back, completely exhausted. He vaguely heard a sharp cry past his own heavy breathing. "Wanna see her." He mumbled, trying to move his arms that now felt like jello. Ian was back by his side-Mickey didn't notice he moved-holding a small bundle in a white blanket._

_"She's perfect." Ian whispered, laying the bundle on Mickey's chest. "Got your hair." Mickey smiled through his exhaustion, eyes glued to the beautiful, sniffling infant on his chest. She hadn't been cleaned yet, her little eyes were screwed shut, and her tiny fists clenched, but he had never seen anything so wonderful._

_"Hi, sweet girl." Mickey whispered to his daughter. "I'm so glad you're finally here." He told the girl, honestly as he snuggled deeper into his embrace. "I love you so much, Mayla." Seeing his daughter, now, he was sure the name fit his little girl._

_"We have to get her cleaned up and get her measurements." A nurse reluctantly informed him. "We'll bring her right back."_

_"Okay." He didn't want to let his baby go, but he knew this had to be done. "See you in a little bit, sweet girl."_

 

_"Can't believe how beautiful she is." Ian murmured, watching his daughter sleep in his husband's arms. "You did good, Mick." He leaned over, placing a soft kiss on the baby's chubby cheek_

_"Hurt like Hell, man." Mickey admitted, rubbing Mayla's back as she slept. "Worth it, though." Ian felt horrible that Mickey went through so much pain for their daughter to join them, but he knew Mickey wasn't upset; he actually seemed proud of himself, right now. "Worth fuckin' everything."_

_"Gonna have our hands full for awhile." Ian mused, still staring at this beautiful thing he and Mickey had made. "Think we can handle it?"_

_"Know we can." There was no doubt in Mickey's voice, which put Ian at ease. "We'll do what we gotta for her." Ian's smile only widened when he realized how right Mickey was._

_"Yeah, we will." Ian sat up enough to kiss Mickey gently. "Love you."_

_"Love you, too." Mayla sniffed in her sleep, making both knew parents look back at the tiny brunette. "Love you, Mayla." He lifted his hand, kissing her hand that was wrapped around his thumb._

_"Daddy loves you, princess." Ian whispered to his daughter, stroking her soft cheek with the tip of his thumb. "So much." In just under a day, their whole world changed for the better; they changed for the better. They both knew nothing mattered more than the little girl sleeping against Mickey's chest. And that was the way it was supposed to be._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mayla's birthday January 17th, by the way.


	21. I Could Look Into Your Eyes Until The Sun Comes Up

"Gonna open it?" Ian asked his husband as he sat at their kitchen table, staring at the envelope from Chicago State University between his hands. Mickey had ignored the envelope once Ian brought it in with the rest of their mail, only sneaking off to look at it once Mayla was asleep (in her own bed for once) and Ian had passed out after the first time the couple had managed to have sex in nearly a month. Mickey was too nervous of the possible rejection to open it. "You'll get in, Mick; you're smart as shit."

Mickey scoffed, wondering where his family kept getting this. He looked back at the envelope, slightly shaking hands clutching the paper. "Just gonna be sayin' "we're sorry to say this, but we cannot accept you at this moment" or some shit." Mickey said with a shaky voice. "Don't gotta open it to know that."

"Tell you what, I'll sit here with you until you do. If you didn't get in, we'll find a way to make it work. If you did, it'll just prove what I already knew." Ian whispered, taking a seat next to his husband as he finally looked up at Ian, biting his bottom lip.

"What's that?" Mickey asked, raising one of his expressive eyebrows.

"That you're gonna do something fuckin' amazing with your life." Ian told him, placing a hand over Mickey's on the envelope, their wedding bands clinking together. "You can do this shit, Mick." The words reminded Mickey of the day he gave birth to Mayla, calming his nerves substantially; if he could do that, he could open a fucking envelope.

"Need my hand to do this, man." He teased Ian, waiting for him to release his hold on his hand. Mickey took a deep breath when Ian sat his hand on the table, hoping he really could do this and make Ian proud. Mickey slowly opened the envelope, closing his eyes before pulling out the contents. "I got in." He whispered in awe, reading the words on the page over and over again in case he was wrong.

"I knew you would, baby!" Ian cheered, pulling Mickey into a passionate kiss. "So fuckin' proud of you, Mick." He whispered against Mickey's full lips, smiling brighter than the sun rising outside the window. "You're gonna do so fuckin' great.

              Two Years Later

He'd been sick for two weeks when Ian forced him to miss his classes that day. He was angry, at first, until he remembered the last time he'd been this sick; when he was pregnant with Mayla. "Fuck!" Mickey yelled, jumping to his feet and running towards the front door of his family's small apartment, trying to decide what he felt; he loved Mayla, and would love more children, but he was going to college, still working part time, helping Mayla with her homework (why the fuck did they give homework to Kindergarten kids, anyway?), and trying to make time for himself and Ian; they didn't have time for a baby, right now.

 

"Mick? Baby, I'm home!" Ian yelled as he entered the apartment that night. "Baby, where are you?" He knew Mayla wasn't home; she'd asked if she could spend the night with a friend from her class the night before, and her parents agreed since it was Friday.

"You love me, right?" Mickey asked, suddenly, walking slowly walking out of their bedroom, hand stuffed into his back pocket.

"Of course. Why?" Ian could feel his heart pounding in his chest; what was going on? Why was Mickey acting so strangely? "Baby, what's goin' on?"

"I'm pregnant." Mickey told his husband, taking the pregnancy test he'd hidden in his pocket out. "I know it's not a great time, but-" Ian launched himself at Mickey, wrapping his arms around his waist and placing sweet kisses all over the shorter man's face.

"Holy shit, Mick! We're gonna have another baby!" Ian looked like Mickey had just told him they'd won the fucking lottery or something instead of that they'd have less money and a screaming baby in the apartment in a few months. "It's gonna be hard, but we know what we're doin' this time and actually have decent jobs, now."

Mickey nodded, knowing Ian was right; they weren't teenagers now, and Mayla was getting older. He didn't want her to be an only child for eight-to-ten years before they had another child. He knew-no mater how hard it was-he'd love this child. He was scared, sure, but he'd been scared during his pregnancy with Mayla, and everything had been just fine.

"Gonna be stressed." Mickey warned, knowing it was true; he had so much going on his life, his pregnancy would be incredibly stressful for both of them.

"We'll be fine." Ian laughed lightly, resting a hand on Mickey's stomach. "Can't wait to have another baby with you." Mickey kissed his husband, feeling as if everything would be great.

 


	22. The Children Are Doing Fine, I Think About Them All The Time

Mickey waited in the car as Ian went to the door of the cute little suburban house on the outskirts of the Northside where Mayla had spent the night. He didn't know how Mayla would react to the news that she would soon be a big sister, so he'd stayed back to think of how to tell their daughter. "Mama!" Mayla chirped as Ian helped her into the car, climbing up to hug him around his neck.

"Hey, sweet girl." He laughed, patting the tiny brunette on the back. "You have fun?"

"Yeah. I missed you and daddy." Mickey saw the look of complete adoration on Ian's face as he buckled the girl into her booster seat. "Mia's mommy let us play with her baby brother; he's real tiny."

"Oh yeah?" Ian asked, buckling his own seatbelt "How was that?" Mickey would have glared if it wouldn't have made it obvious that there was something going on to Mayla.

"He was cute." Mayla said with a small smile. "Babies are fun." Mickey let out a tiny sigh that went unnoticed by Mayla.

"Make you want a little brother or sister?" Mickey asked, hoping for a yes from the girl in the back seat, dancing to some shitty pop song Ian was playing lowly through the car speakers.

"A little; babies are nice, but I like having mama and daddy." Did she think if they had another child they'd stop loving her?

"We'd still be your mama and daddy, princess." Ian informed his daughter, glancing at her through the rearview mirror. "You'd just have someone else to play with and love."

"Would you still love me?" She asked shyly. Mickey turned around as much as he could with his seatbelt on, holding out his hand for Mayla to grasp on to.

"We'll always love you; nothing's gonna change that." Mickey said softly, looking straight at his daughter. "May, daddy and I are havin' you a litte brother or sister." Mayla's arms widened.

"You are?" She didn't seem upset, just curious. "Can I be your helper, mama?" Mickey flashed her a teary smile; he couldn't even blame hormones, Mayla's sweet disposition did this to him.

"Yeah, May." He turned back around, his arm still stretched out as Mayla played with his fingers in the backseat, singing along with the radio. He used to think he'd done something right to get this girl in his life, but now he believes he'd gotten her to show him  _how_ to do something right; how to love the way Mayla did.

 

"She took that better than I expected." Ian commented as they settled into their bed that night. Mayla had asked questions about the baby periodically; what was it's name? Who would it look like? Would it need her help with homework? Mickey and Ian told her they wouldn't know most of that until the baby was born; explaining that they weren't sure they were still going to like the name they'd chosen for her once she was born until they saw her. But they told her that her younger sibling would need her help most of it's life.

"Should've known; kid's too fuckin' good to have come from me." Mickey muttered, laying his head over Ian's heart.

"Nah, I think she's exactly what your baby should be. We did damn good." Ian kissed the crown of Mickey's head, gently running his hand down the length of Mickey's spine.

"Yeah. We did. Now stop the faggy shit and let me sleep." Ian laughed, but nodded and closed his eyes, none the less. Mickey had to agree with his husband; they had done great with Mayla. Hopefully this child would be just as sweet, but only time would tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should the new baby be a boy or a girl? Red hair or black? Green eyes or blue? Help me decide!


	23. And The Men Who Watched Them Like Hungry, Black, Eels

"May, be good for Aunty Fi, okay?" Ian told his daughter, knowing it wasn't a worry he ever needed to have with Mayla but still feeling the need to tell her. He had recently read that a lot of children started acting out after the news of a new baby, but after two months, Mayla was just as sweet as before.

"I will, daddy." She reached her tiny arms up for a hug, melting Ian's heart. He knelt in front of his daughter, kissing her soft cheek as he hugged her. "Love you, daddy." Mayla said gently, stroking his hair the way Mickey always did. He laughed a little at how similar Mayla was to his husband, sometimes.

"Love you, too, princess." The door opened harshly, fallowed by a stream of curse words from Frank as he entered. "Hey, dad." Ian said as he stood up, watching Mayla run to her grandfather. "What's up?" He asked as Frank scooped Mayla up. Ian loved that, even at nearly six, his daughter was still small enough to be easily carried around.

"Fucking Monica." Ian watched Mayla closely; Monica had never really left Chicago again, and after the last time Mayla saw her even the woman's name made the girl shake.

_Ian woke with a start, hearing someone pounding on the door of the apartment. Mickey sat up beside him, eyes bleary and unfocused as he did. "The fuck is that? It's two in the God damn morning!" Mickey grumbled in exhaustion; he and Mickey had spent most of the night up with Mayla-who was suffering through a horrible flu virus-and had just managed to get the girl to sleep at one._

_"Probably just Carl too drunk to go home, again. I'll deal with him, you go back to sleep." Ian felt awful that Mickey had to get up for class in a few hours and had barely slept. "Seriously, I got this." Mickey was too tired to fight him, so he simply laid back down as Ian climbed out of their bed and made his way quickly out of the bedroom, hoping Carl's incessant knocking hadn't woken Mayla._

_"Carl, man, if you woke up May I swear to fuckin' god-" Ian stopped, seeing a smiling-and obviously manic-Monica standing outside. "What the fuck are you doin' here? How did you even find me?!" Ian demanded, glaring at his mother._

_"My boyfriend lives downstairs; I saw you walkin' up the stairs, yesterday and asked him where the handsome redhead lived!" She cheered, trying to hug Ian who simply stepped away, still keeping the doorway blocked out so she couldn't enter. "You're so fuckin' beautiful, baby." Ian wanted to scream, but he didn't want to wake Mickey or Mayla._

_"Leave." Was all he said, going to slam the door-hopefully quiet enough that his family could still sleep-until Monica put half of her body through the door. "It's two in the morning, Monica; leave." He repeated, trying to make his presence as intimidating as possible._

_"I wanna see you, Ian!" She exclaimed, a wild smile on her face._

_"I don't wanna see you; thought I'd made that clear." Monica darted in before Ian-in his sleep-deprived state-could stop her. "Your place is nice, baby!" She yelled. Ian looked around frantically, praying his own bedroom door or Mayla's didn't open._

_"Get the fuck out before you wake up my husband or my daughter." He seethed with a hand gripping her forearm._

_"That thing is still here?! You made a mistake when you were sixteen, Ian! You don't have to live with it your whole life! The bitch should've gotten rid of it!" Ian was furious; she had no fucking right to talk about his daughter or husband like that!_

_"You don't get to fuckin' talk about them." He growled, glaring down at the woman._

_"I tried to help you, Ian; you didn't want the fuckin' thing ruining your life!" Ian's head snapped towards the living room when he heard a sniff._

_"D-daddy?" Mayla asked in a shaky, hoarse voice, her little face bright red from the fever._

_"May..." His daughter had heard Monica say those horrible things; he couldn't protect her from that._

_"I-I'm s-sorry." She whispered. Ian released Monica's arm and darted to his daughter's side._

_"For what, princess?" He asked softly, brushing her messy hair away from her face._

_"Y-you d-don't w-want me!" She sobbed, and Ian's heart shattered. There had never been a single moment when he hadn't wanted this girl; she had been the center of his universe since the moment he knew she existed._

_"May, look at me." Mayla-always the obedient child-looked up at Ian. "Daddy always wanted you; daddy loves you with his whole heart." Monica scoffed, but Ian continued. "You're my princess, and I love you to pieces." Mayla nodded, but didn't appear convinced. Ian stood up, turning to glare at Monica viciously. "Get the fuck out so I can take my sick kid back to bed. You think what you did was helping me?_

_"You have no idea how badly it fucked me up for months! You tried to destroy my life because I didn't do what you wanted. Did you think about what I wanted? I wanted my daughter and my husband! And now? I want you the fuck out of my life." Monica's eyes widened._

_"You heard him, leave." Mickey made his presence known, moving into the living room with his arms crossed. He'd woken up when Monica yelled those horrible things about Mayla, but saw that Ian was handling their daughter well. "Don't fuckin' come back; told you before, your kids are better off without you." Mickey picked Mayla up, stroking her sweaty back as Ian went to the kitchen to get her something to drink. The door slammed when Monica left, but neither parent cared; they were only worried about Mayla._

"The hell did she do this time?" Fiona asked, handing Mayla a juice box.

"Started a fuckin' homeless shelter down the street." Frank said, too busy making Mayla laugh by kissing her cheek repeatedly.

"I got it. Thanks for watchin' May, Fiona." He kissed his daughter's nose softly. "Later, dad." In the past six years, Ian had grown to truly love his father, and appreciated how great he was with Mayla. Ian exited the house, spotting a man roughly his age with curly brown hair approaching the fence.

"Hey, you live here?" The man asked Ian, looking him up and down with intense brown eyes.

"No, my sister. Need something?" He asked, walking out onto the sidewalk, obviously bothering this man by not returning his wanting looks; Ian supposed he was attractive to other people, but he'd been with the most attractive man he'd ever seen for nearly eight years.

"You know who runs the shelter down the street?" The man asked, still eyeing Ian up.

"Sadly." Ian said as he started walking up the street towards the house Monica had taken over. Monica was lounging in a lawn chair when he reached it. "Shut it down, Monica." He ordered, wanting to keep this interaction short.

"Ian! This your boyfriend? He's cute!" Monica said enthusiastically. Ian rolled his eyes, not bothering to remind her of his husband. "Isn't my Ian a beautiful man..." She trailed off, waiting for the stranger to introduce himself.

"Trevor." He offered, extending a hand.

"Monica." She said, watching Trevor stare longingly at Ian.

"Just shut it down, I gotta get to work." Ian snapped, walking back to his car.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not making Trevor a bad guy (even though I don't like him and Ian together) I feel like they would have been great as friends.


	24. Can't Promise That Things Won't Be Broken, But I Swear That I Will Never Leave

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second Flashback chapter. Enjoy a little glimpse into Mickey's first pregnancy.

_"I'm fuckin' fat, man." Mickey complained as he sat on the couch next to Ian, his left hand cradling his extended abdomen. Ian knew Mickey was uncomfortable with his weight gain, but he loved seeing his baby bump-that was still rather small-as proof that their baby was still there. Mickey absent-mindedly rubbed his stomach, even with that signature Milkovich scowl on his face._

_"You're not even that big, baby; you should actually be bigger than you are." Ian remembered the doctor at the clinic telling them Mickey was slightly underweight for his sixth month when they went in last week. "Startin' to think she won't be nine pounds like every other Gallagher baby." Ian spoke, placing his hand on his husband's stomach, caressing the small bump._

_"Ma said all three of hers were between four and six; Mandy was her biggest." Mickey seemed as if he were speaking to his daughter more so than Ian. "I was barely four pounds." Any other time Ian would have made a joke that Mickey was always small, but something seemed haunted about his words. "Ma said they weren't sure I'd make it."_

_"Think she'll be a small baby like you were?" Ian had heard stories from Katia about how sickly Mickey was as a baby due to his small size-and the fact that he was premature-and was thankful every day that the love of his life was now in very good health; Mickey had only had a cold once since Ian had met him eleven years ago._

_"Nah, just might be smaller than your giant ass family breeds 'em." Ian chuckled at Mickey's stupid fucking joke. "Probably gonna be closer to Mandy." Ian thought of his child being like Mandy in any way; small, but fierce, beautiful, but dangerous when fucked with, sweet if she loved you but vicious if she didn't. Mandy was the most like Katia in terms of personality, even if Mickey looked the most like her._

_"Think she'll act like Mands?" Ian thought out loud. He hoped his daughter would be that strong. Mickey smiled, obviously thinking of his baby sister._

_"Maybe; Mandy's the strongest, so I fuckin' hope so." Sometimes Mickey amazed him with the ability he seemed to possess to read Ian's mind. "Terry always said Iggy was his good lookin' kid with Ma, though." Ian scoffed without meaning to; Iggy wasn't necessarily ugly, but the blond was no where near as breathtakingly beautiful as Katia's other two children. Mickey and Mandy's dark hair, pale skin, and blue eyes made them hard to overlook even before Mickey took care of his physical appearance._

_"Think that's you." Ian flirted, littering Mickey's neck with small kisses. "Ever tell you that you were my first crush?" Mickey laughed, either from Ian kissing him, or because he didn't believe him. "I was eight and you were in the pool with me; first time I ever saw you without a shirt. Think I fell in love before that, but that was when I realized why I always thought you were beautiful."_

_"Full of shit, Gallagher. Help me up; kid's usin' my bladder as a fuckin' soccer ball." Ian stood up quickly, helping Mickey to his feet. "Realized it when I was seven." Mickey turned and walked out of the room before Ian could respond. He stood in front of the couch, silently thanking Katia Milkovich for fighting so hard to keep this amazing man alive when he was just an underweight, sickly infant doing everything his tiny body could to keep him alive._

 

_"Ever think the name won't fit her?" Ian asked as Mickey tried to fall asleep that night._

_"Does Mikhailo fit me?" Mickey challenged._

_"Sorta; don't exactly look like a fuckin' David or some shit." Mickey's body shook as he laughed, obviously amused by Ian's choice of words. "Does Ian fit me?"_

_"Yeah; can't really see you havin' a different name." Mickey admitted. "Clayton, though? No. That shit don't fit you at all." Ian laughed in agreement; he'd always hated his middle name, for some reason. "Used to like Aleksandr more than Mikhailo."_

_"I think Katia did pretty good; Mikhailo Aleksandr Gallagher sounds fuckin' perfect." Ian muttered, pulling Mickey closer to his body._

_"Wasn't born a Gallagher, Firecrotch." Mickey pointed out, waiting for Ian to say some pussy, sappy shit._

_"I like Mikhailo Aleksandr Gallagher better than Mikhailo Aleksandr Milkovich." And, there it was. Ian seemed to make a habit of saying pussy shit to Mickey now that he was pregnant._

_"Coulda been Mikhailo Aleksandr Tyshchenko." Mickey said, almost to himself, wondering how different his life may have been had he been given his Mother's maiden name._

_"Wouldn't even be able to say that shit, so let's just stick with Gallagher." Ian was obviously half asleep, now._

_"Yeah, okay... I like Mikhailo Aleksandr Gallagher better, too." Mickey admitted as he drifted off to sleep himself, wrapped in his husband's warmth and feeling the weight of his unborn daughter on him._


	25. The Kids Aren't Alright

"Was he hot?" Mickey asked as Ian told him about his morning with Monica and the brunette guy asking about the shelter. Mayla was oblivious to her parents' conversation, too busy playing with the Lego set Carl had given her that morning (Ian truly hoped it wasn't stolen) to care about any of it.

"Wouldn't know; kinda bias." Mickey chuckled, laying his head on Ian's shoulder and watching Mayla play. "Sorry I missed the ultrasound this morning." Ian whispered, playing with Mickey's fingers as they rested on his thigh. "Any new developments on baby Gallagher?"

"Heard his heartbeat." Now Ian felt worse for not getting to go with his husband; the first time they heard Mayla's heartbeat had been amazing.

"Still convinced it's a boy this time?" Ian teased. Mickey had said for weeks he thought this baby would be a boy, but Ian was sure they were having another girl.

"Is, man; kid's livin' in my fuckin' body, I know what it is... I was right about May, wasn't I?" Mickey challenged, flicking Ian's knee with his thumb and forefinger. They had both been convinced the whole time that Mayla was going to be a girl, and were right, but this time couldn't seem to agree.

"You pick the name for a boy and I'll choose for a girl?" Mickey nodded; he already knew what he was gonna name his sin, having come across the names online weeks ago. "Elara Quinn." Mickey liked it, but he was certain they were having a boy.

"It's nice. What's it mean?" Ian went for meaning, while Mickey tried to find names that sounded good with Gallagher.

"Elara is one of Jupiter's moons, and Quinn just sounds cool." Mickey had to agree, and he honestly liked the name; maybe if they had a third child they'd have a second daughter. "You're turn."

"Kylan Loxley." Mickey had no idea what drew him to those names, but he loved them, and knew that was his son's name. "No idea what the fuck it means, just like it."

"So Elara for a girl and Kylan for a boy... Our kids are gonna hate us for not namin' them Jack or Alice or some shit like that, someday." Though Ian liked the names, people already called Mayla "Maya" all the time.

"Whatever; our kids are gonna have cool fuckin' names." Mickey sat up, slightly. "May, is mama gonna have a boy or girl?" Mayla didn't turn away from her creation, but seemed deep in thought.

"Boy; I wanna be the only princess." Mayla said too seriously for a five-year-old. "Bubby can be the prince."

"Sounds good, princess." Ian wanted a boy now; a little prince to match his princess sounded perfect.

 


	26. Our Love We See Right Here Stays

                  Two Years Later

"Mikhailo Aleksandr Gallagher, Mathematics and Business Management." The dean of the school announced, causing the large crowd of people in the audience for Mickey-Fiona, Katia, Frank, Iggy, Mandy, Lip, Debbie, Carl, Liam, Trevor, Ian, Mayla, and Kylan-to erupt in cheers. Mickey crossed the stage with a smirk on his face, trying not to look at his daughter sitting on his husband's shoulders as their son was perched on his hip. He'd actually done it; he'd managed to finish college, even after having his second child. Mickey wasn't the type to feel proud of himself, but he had a right to, dammit! He was a college graduate, married to an amazing man, and raising two wonderful children; Mickey Milkovich-Gallagher, if you were like his husband and wanted to get fucking technical-had done damn good.

 

"Congratulations, baby." Ian said with a smile, passing a squirming Kylan to Mickey when he joined his family. Kylan calmed down as soon as he realized Ian was no longer holding him; he loved Ian, but he would always prefer Mickey. "You did it." Ian kissed Mickey's cheek, causing him to blush into Kylan's fiery red hair.

"Mama dress?" Kylan asked, looking up at Mickey with big, green eyes; Mickey had no claim on this child based on his appearance, he was Ian's clone physically. His personality, however, was all Mickey; snarky, brash, brutally honest... Needless to say, Kylan was the opposite of his older sister in almost every way.

"Yeah, they made mama wear a dress, buddy." Mickey said, wrinkling his nose at his son. "Stupid, huh?" Kylan laughed, his whole body turning to jello as if Mickey was the funniest person on Earth.

"You did very good, Mama." Mayla chimed in sweetly, smiling that warm smile only she could. "And it's a  _gown,_ bubby." She gently corrected her brother. Mayla loved Kylan, even though-at a year and a half-he was a little abrasive from time-to-time.

"Mama dress." He shot back indignantly. One thing no one could say about him was that he didn't stick to his fucking guns. "Sissy dress!" Kylan laughed, again, pointing to where his sister stood in a cute little blue dress with her long, black hair pulled back.

"Yep. Sissy's in a dress, little man." Ian said, lifting Mayla up so she could kiss Mickey's cheek. "Sissy looks very pretty in her dress, too." Mayla smoothed down some of Ian's hair-where Kylan had decided his father no longer needed it-with a soft smile.

"Thank you, daddy." Mayla's sweet personality hadn't changed since her brother had joined their little family; if anything, she was even sweeter now than she was before-no doubt due to Kylan being so hard to handle-and Mickey and Ian had no problem with that.

"You did good, man." Trevor chimed in, thumping Mickey on the back. After an awkward meeting-during which Trevor kept apologizing for basically eye-fucking Mickey's husband-the three of them had become close friends.

"Thanks." Mickey muttered; all of this praise was embarrassing him. "Ma?" He looked around Ian at a teary-eyed Katia, smiling at Mickey the way she did when he told her the reason behind Mayla's middle name.

"My sweet Mikhailo." He decided he had been called "Mikhailo" too many times for one day. "I am very proud." She gushed, kissing his scarlet cheeks repeatedly. He'd take the praise from Katia, because he wanted his mother to be proud of the man he'd become. "I love you, Mikhailo." Why she never just agreed to call him "Mickey" was beyond him.

"Thanks, Ma." Mickey sniffed, kissing his mother's cheek. "Love you, too."

"Gamma yuv Ky?" Kylan asked, an exaggerated pout only Ian could pull off on his tiny face, holding his arms out to Katia. The only difference between Mickey and his son's personalities was that Kylan loved being the center of attention, unlike Mickey.

"Grandma loves Kylan very much." Katia cooed, taking Kylan into her arms. "My beautiful grandson." As Katia held Kylan the Gallagher clan congratulated Mickey, who was quickly getting exhausted and ready to just head home with his family for the night.

"Ky seep." 'Saved by the fuckin' baby' Mickey thought, taking Kylan back into his arms before wishing his extended family a good night.

 

"You really did it, Mick." Ian said in awe as the two laid in bed, watching Kylan sleep peacefully in his crib across the room. "So fuckin' proud of you, baby." Ian would always be proud of his husband, but knowing he had put so much effort into getting his degrees would always be a major source of pride for him.

"Finished what I started." Mickey muttered, watching Kylan closely as he snored softly. "Didn't want Ky and May thinkin' it was okay to fuckin' quit." Ian smiled; only Mickey would turn him accomplishing something into something about his children.

"You did good." Ian whispered, laying his head on Mickey's chest. "May and Ky are lucky they have you." He kissed the spot over Mickey's heart where his name was permanently etched. "I am, too." 

"Go to sleep, Ian." Even with wanting Ian to stop talking about how wonderful he was, he wanted to get some sleep before Kylan woke up and decided he was too far away from Mickey. "Love you." Mickey murmured, eyes drooping.

"Love you." Ian slurred back, eyes closed as he snuggled closer to Mickey. Their lives had changed immensely, but the one thing that had never changed was how much they loved one another; Ian prayed that would never change.


	27. Might Be Left With My Hair, But You'll Have Your Mother's Eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another flashback, to give you a little glimpse into Mayla meeting her little brother, Kylan.

_"Is the baby sleeping?" Mayla asked Ian as he lead her to Mickey's hospital room, his hand clutching her much smaller one. "I don't wanna wake him up." Mayla had been exited to meet her baby brother since she found out Mickey was having a boy, but she didn't want to bother the newborn._

_"He might be, but babies sleep a lot, at first." Ian reminded his daughter as they reached the door to Mickey's room; his husband had been awake and holding their son when he left-having asked Ian to go get their daughter so she could meet the baby-but had looked exhausted. "Mama's tired, princess." He told Mayla, knowing she understood not to get extremely loud when Mickey was tired._

_When Mayla and Ian entered the hospital room, Mickey was sitting up, holding his son to his chest with a soft, loving smile aimed at his baby girl. "Come 'ere, May; want you to meet your new brother." Mickey said softly, watching as Ian lifted her onto the bed with a matching smile. "Mayla, this is Kylan Loxley Gallagher; your baby brother." Mayla's eyes widened as she looked down at the redheaded baby in Mickey's arms._

_"He's beautiful." Mayla commented, placing a small finger against Kylan's clutched fist. "He's got daddy's hair." She giggled. "What do his eyes look like?"_

_"They're blue right now, but baby's eyes change; might have your eyes." Mickey informed his daughter. Secretly, he was hoping his son's eyes would be green like his husband and daughter, even though Ian had been extremely vocal in his hopes that this child would have blue eyes like Mickey._

_"Not a chance; he's gonna have mama's pretty blue eyes." Ian chimed in, smiling down at his daughter and his son, both curled up to his husband._

_"Mama's eyes are very pretty." Mayla said, deep in thought. "But Kylan is beautiful no matter what." Mickey swore his heart grew three sizes then. "I love you, Kylan; I'll be a good big sister." She promised, kissing his tiny, freckled nose._

_"He knows, princess. And he loves you. Very much." Ian told her, kissing her temple as he sat down on the edge of the bed._

_"How'd you get so sweet, May?" Mickey asked, watching her gently stroke Kylan's fingers._

_"Just am." She said playfully, laughing softly when Kylan clutched her fingers. "Does that mean he likes me, mama?" She nervously asked Mickey, green eyes filled with fear._

_"It means he knows you're his big sister and that he loves you." Mickey said with uncharacteristic sweetness. "Just like me and daddy." Mayla's smile brightened the whole room. She looked down at Kylan, talking softly but quickly, as Mickey looked towards Ian. "He looks like you."_

_"Poor kid." Ian joked, wrapping an arm around Mickey. "Guess we know who the pretty kid is."_

_"They're both fuckin' beautiful; spent nine months makin' their asses, I should know." Mickey said defensively; his babies were both gorgeous, and Ian knew that._

_"There's my Mickey; scared I lost ya for a second." Mickey gave him a look that said 'if I had a free hand I'd flip you the fuck off', and Ian had to hold back a laugh. "They are fuckin' beautiful. Both of 'em." Ian laid his head against Mickey's, watching as his daughter sang a song Katia had taught her to the baby on Mickey's chest._

_Life may not be perfect, but Ian and Mickey were convinced it was pretty fucking close._


	28. Do I Wanna Know?

"When the hell do you two get to fuck, anymore?" Iggy asked-earning a slap to the head from Katia-as they walked into Ian and Mickey's apartment. Mickey was home working on the book-keeping for the garage he'd been at since he was nineteen when his mother and brother showed up.

"None of your fuckin' business; ain't talkin' about my sex life in front of my mother." Katia sent Mickey an appreciative smile as he snapped at his brother. In truth, Mickey couldn't remember when he and Ian last had sex, but he wouldn't tell Iggy that; he didn't need Iggy to know he was feeling uncomfortable with the fact that Ian didn't seem interested, anymore.

"Are you okay, Mikhailo?" Katia asked, sensing Mickey's unhappy demeanor. "Where are my grandbabies?" She asked, hoping to get that beautiful, dimpled smile to his face.

"Ian took 'em to Fiona's." He replied, glancing towards his open bedroom door, spotting Kylan's crib. "May wanted to see Fi." Iggy's eyes narrowed. "What?" Mickey asked his brother, seeing his confused expression.

"Ian's car ain't at the Gallagher's," Iggy said, thoughtfully. "drives the grey Dodge, right?" Mickey nodded; he'd hated the charcoal 2012 Dodge Nitro when Ian had bought it, but it was certainly safer for their children than his 1985 Chevy pick-up truck. "Yeah, it ain't there."

"I'm sure he picked Liam up from school for Fiona." Katia offered, sending Iggy a warning glare. Mickey knew that wasn't the case; Liam was suspended for fighting, so Ian wasn't picking his youngest brother up. So what was going on?

 

"Not gonna keep lyin' for you, Ian." Fiona warned her brother. "Whatever the fuck you're doin', it stops or I'm tellin' Mickey you've been lyin' to him." She threatened in a low voice, trying not to alert her niece and nephew that she was pissed at their father. "You smell like fuckin' cologne." She seethed, filling a sippy cup for Kylan to keep her hands busy.

"Not what you think, Fiona; I wouldn't cheat on my husband." Ian defended himself, though he knew it would look that way; Fiona knew he and Mickey's sex life was at a screeching halt and that he'd been spending more time away from home. "You know I love Mickey."

"Ian, sweetie, you were fourteen when you got together, and you hadn't even turned seventeen when Mayla was born..." She took a steadying breath. "Is it Trevor?"

"Is what Trevor?" Ian asked, trying not to yell at his sister for assuming that just because he was young when they started their relationship and became parents for the first time he may have fallen out of love with Mickey.

"Is Trevor the guy you're fuckin'?!" She snapped. "I was okay with you goin' to that stupid fuckin' party with him, and so was Mickey; Mickey  _trusts_ him! But now? You tell him you're here, drop the kids off, and leave." Ian cringed, causing Fiona to step closer to him, making him back into a wall. "Mickey's fuckin' family, Ian! I'm not helpin' you cheat on him, anymore." She thrust the cup into his hand, effectively kicking him out.

 

"Hey, baby." Ian greeted his husband as he walked into the apartment-carrying a sleeping Kylan-with Mayla behind him. Mickey waved dismissively before crouching down to be at Mayla's eye level.

"What'd you do today, sweet girl?" He asked softly, kissing her forehead.

"Played with Aunty Fi." She replied, obviously tired.

"Not daddy?" He asked conversationally.

"Daddy left." She said as if Mickey should've known this. "Can I go to bed, mama?" She asked softly.

"Brush your teeth." He reminded before standing up. Mayla nodded before trotting off. "Put Ky to bed." He told Ian before walking to the kitchen to wait for him. Ian laid Kylan in his crib, trying to prepare himself for a fight.

"Night, daddy! Night, mama!" Mayla called before he heard the girl's bedroom door close and knew he had to face his husband. He walked to the kitchen-making sure to leave their bedroom door cracked open so they could hear Kylan if he needed them-and sat across from Mickey.

"Gonna take the kids to the house, next week." Ian and Mickey had found a nice house on the outskirts of the Northside for a ridiculously low price and put an offer-and later a down payment-on it.

"Yeah, they should see it." Ian agreed; he wanted his children to like their new home as much as he and Mickey did.

"Not to see it; we're gonna stay there. The payments aren't bad, so I can swing it pretty easily." After Mickey graduated he was asked to do the book-keeping for the garage and got a job at an accounting office, so he was now making much more money than his husband.

"What?" Mickey was confused; why was Mickey talking like Ian wasn't going to be there?

"You fuckin' lied about goin' to Fiona's, come home smellin' like cologne that I know ain't either of ours, we haven't had sex in months, and you're never fuckin' home... I don't know what's goin' on, but the kids ain't gonna watch us fall apart." Mickey said calmly, glancing towards Mayla's door to make sure she hadn't woken up.

"Mick, are you... Are you seriously about to leave me?" Ian asked in disbelief.

"Not gonna file for divorce or anything like that, right now. But, yeah, I'm leavin'." Mickey's blue eyes looked haunted when he glanced back at Ian. "I'm not stupid, Ian."

"Baby-" Mickey cut him off by holding up his left hand-that was missing his wedding band-and staring straight into his eyes.

"I'm not mad. But I'm not doin' this to myself, Mayla, or Kylan; they're who matters." Mickey stood up and walked to the bedroom, leaving Ian staring after him with a broken heart and the knowledge that he had to do everything in his power to keep his family together; to keep him and Mickey together.


	29. When You Break, It's Too Late For You To Fall Apart

Ian returned to the apartment after dropping Mayla and Kylan off to Mandy and Lip for the night with a plan; he was going to tell Mickey the truth and fix their marriage no matter what. He took a breath outside the bedroom before opening the door. Mickey sat on the floor, placing clean laundry in three duffle bags. "Mick?" Mickey hummed in acknowledgment, but didn't turn to look at him.

"I didn't fuck anyone," Ian started. "I've been goin' out with Trev; bars, parties, sometimes just goin' to lunch with him and his friends." Mickey nodded; he knew Ian had gone to at least one party with Trevor, and didn't care. "He's friends with a guy who's dating Caleb." Mickey stopped moving, but seemed to be listening.

"And?" Mickey asked when Ian stopped talking.

"He's got this... This way of gettin' into your fuckin' head; had me thinkin' I lost out on somethin' by not goin' out and partying before I got married and had kids." Ian rambled, watching Mickey as he resumed packing.

"Shoulda thought about that before you got married." Mickey said calmly. "Didn't fuckin' have to; not like I woulda kept May away from you." Mickey refused to look at his husband.

"I don't think like that, baby!" Ian sobbed, dropping to his knees next to Mickey on the floor. "He's a manipulative bastard and had me thinkin' he was right... We kissed a few times, but when Trev caught us, he said he wasn't keepin' my secret, because you're his friend. Caleb started to show his true fuckin' colors, and... And I ended it."

"Sounds like you had a fuckin' boyfriend." Mickey said, an uncharacteristic amount of venom in his voice. "How long?"

"A couple of weeks... Baby, I swear, I never wanted to hurt you." Ian took Mickey's face in his hands, forcing those blue eyes he loved so much to look back at him. "I kissed him three times-at most-and fuckin' hated myself for it."

"Did you think about leavin'?" Mickey asked, not trying to pull away from Ian; he was too tired to fight the touch that used to comfort him.

"No; I told him I wasn't gonna. Yeah, goin' out and partying was fun, but I wanted to come home to you and our babies." Ian knew what he was saying was hurting Mickey-fuck, it was hurting him-but he needed to be honest with his husband. "I love you, Mickey, and I'm fuckin' sorry for this... I couldn't fuckin' touch you knowing I kissed him."

"May not feel like it, but you cheated, Ian." Mickey's voice was hoarse as he tried not to cry. "If it happened once, it could happen again."

"It won't... I swear, I won't fuckin' hurt you, again." Ian knew Mickey hated begging, but he couldn't lose Mickey. "Please don't leave me."

"Never even kissed someone before you, man... You think I don't think about all the guys I coulda been with if I didn't get pregnant and married when I was seventeen?" Mickey let out a humorless laugh. "The difference is that I knew I was in love."

"I am in love with you." Ian said with enough certainty to make Mickey's eyes look hopeful. "And that ain't gonna change."

"Kids and I are gonna be at the house... Need a few days before you come home." Ian smiled, nodding a little. "I love you, but I just.. right now I need to just be with the kids."

"We gonna be okay?" Ian asked, hope crushed with Mickey's last words.

"Eventually. You broke my fuckin' heart, but I don't wanna lose you." Mickey replied, zipping the duffle bag with Kylan's clothes inside.

"Don't wanna lose you, either." Ian said, gently stroking Mickey's cheek. "Couldn't fuckin' live with myself if I lost you."

"Gonna take some time," Mickey zipped the bag with Mayla's clothes in it. "but we'll figure it out." He zipped the final bag; the one filled with his own clothes. Ian didn't know what drove him to do it, but he soon had Mickey pinned to the floor, kissing him with all the love he felt for the brunette. Mickey moaned against Ian's lips, sucking his tongue as it entered his own mouth.

"Love you, baby." Mickey gasped, nodding to show he understood what Ian had said as the redhead stuck his hand in the front of Mickey's sweat pants, gripping his semi-hard member. "Love you so fuckin' much." He started to stroke Mickey cock and place kisses on his throat. Mickey was a moaning mess, grasping Ian's biceps as he continued to jerk his husband's cock inside his pants.

"So fuckin' beautiful." Ian breathed against Mickey's throat before biting down. Mickey let out a choked moan as hot cum spilled onto Ian's hand. "I'm so sorry, baby." Ian whispered against Mickey's shoulder.

"Hell of an apology." Mickey laughed a little as he came down from his orgasm. "Didn't fix anything-"

"I know. Just wanted to touch you." Ian said softly, moving to lay beside Mickey, his head on his shoulder. "I'll work my ass off to fix the shit I pulled." Mickey made a sleepy noise of acknowledgment before Ian heard the soft sniff that told him Mickey was pretending he was asleep; he didn't want to talk about this, anymore, and Ian didn't blame him.

Ian knew he had to work to earn Mickey's trust back, but he would do whatever he had to do to earn that trust, because he loved this man enough to put in the work.


	30. We Were Just Kids When We Fell In Love

The house was beautiful; hard wood floors throughout, an open floorplan on the first floor, a large backyard, and three spacious bedrooms on the second floor. Ian was impressed with how good it actually looked once he and Mickey painted and spent nearly two weeks restoring the floors to their former glory, but they had finally done it. While their house was beautiful now that it was put together, it didn't feel like home; home-to Ian-was where Mickey was, and Mickey wasn't completely here with him. He knew he still had a lot to make up for, and he was fully prepared to do whatever he had to, but he missed his Mickey.

"Backyard's all set." Mandy said, walking in through the french doors of the kitchen. "Debs and Fiona are still marveling at their fuckin' work." Ian smirked; he'd missed that signature Milkovich sass, recently, and Mandy didn't hold back. "Think this'll work? You fucked up pretty colossally, man."

"Don't need a reminder of that, Mands." He grumbled, passing her a beer from the top shelf of the fridge (no way were they risking Mayla getting a hold of it) and moving to look out the back door. "It's not supposed to fix everything. This is just something we didn't get to do." Ian turned when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs, seeing Mayla in the blush pink dress Mandy had gotten her fallowed by Katia-who looked gorgeous in a simple, dark blue dress with her hair in an elegant bun that matched Mayla and Mandy-carrying an obviously uncomfortable Kylan, who seemed determined to get his button down shirt off.

"How do I look?" Mayla asked, doing a little spin that made her dress twirl around her. "Grandma Katie did my hair like hers and Aunty Mandy." She told her father, proudly.

"You look beautiful, princess." Ian wasn't lying; his baby girl was always beautiful, just like Mickey. "Don't like the shirt, little man?" Ian asked Kylan as he scooped him out of Katia's arms.

"Icky, dadda." Kylan said with a scowl that looked completely out of place on him; it looked like Ian trying to imitate Mickey. "Don' like." He went on, trying to understand how to get the light blue fabric off of himself.

"You look handsome, Kylan, leave it alone." Katia told her grandson before turning to Ian-wearing a white button down shirt with his hair meticulously styled-with a warning expression. "You do, too, Ian. But if you hurt my Mikhailo again you will have to learn to live without your lungs." Mickey had once told Ian that Katia was the scariest Milkovich when she was angry, and he could see why.

"Not planning on it." Ian promised his mother-in-law with a shaky voice. "Never gonna hurt Mick again."

"Better fuckin' not." Fiona warned him as she and Debbie entered-Debbie's short, lacy dress the same blush pink color as Mayla's and Fiona wearing the same shade of light blue as Kylan and Mandy-with a softening expression; once Ian told her what had happened, she had stopped talking to him and would glare anytime she saw him, but she started speaking to him-even if she still glared-once he told her his plan. "Never would've guessed Mick would be into this shit."

"Have you met my husband? Short guy, pale, big blue eyes, black hair, hates anything that he thinks would make someone call him a pussy?" Fiona, Debbie, Mandy, and Katia all laughed while Kylan and Mayla just looked confused. "Said once that when May got older we should do this; give us a chance to do it right." When Ian and Mickey had actually gotten married they were at the courthouse in jeans and t-shirts and Mickey was still covered in cuts and bruises from Terry's attack. This was their chance to have a wedding.

"What'd Iggy tell him?" Debbie asked, smoothing some of her red curls back into place.

"That he needed help gettin' ready for a job interview." Ian laughed at the lame excuse when Iggy had told him, but he was thankful his husband didn't look too deeply into it before agreeing. "Better get in our places, they'll be back, soon."

"Saw them driving up the street, son." Frank said as he walked in, fallowed by Carl, Lip, Liam, Kev, Vee, and Trevor. "These miscreants just arrived." Frank ushered everyone to the backyard while Ian regained his ability to breathe before turning to Katia.

"Remember what you're supposed to do?" Katia nodded with a tearful smile. "Better not let Mick see that." He whispered before running out to the yard.

 

"The fuck did I have to dress like this, Iggs?" Mickey grumbled to his brother as they entered his house. "It's my day off; not supposed to get fuckin' dressed." He turned towards the kitchen when he heard a familiar laugh. "Hey, Ma." He greeted nervously, wondering where Ian and the kids were. "What's up?"

"It is too nice to stay inside; come out and have a cigarette with your mother." She said, extending a hand to her son.

"You look nice, Ma." He told her, admiring her perfectly styled hair and makeup that she had never needed, but still looked lovely in. "Got a date?"

"Later. Wanted to spend some time with my Mikhailo, first." She looped her arm through Mickey's. "Vigo, get the door?" Mickey chuckled at her use of his birth name until he saw the state of his backyard; there were chairs-all draped in white cloth with small ties around them-marking out a walkway sprinkled with red flower petals, flowers and candles leading up the steps to the gazebo, where Ian stood in front of Frank.

"The hell is this?" Mickey asked, turning to Katia with wide eyes.

"Your wedding, Mikhailo. Now, walk your mother to her seat." She instructed, reminding Mickey how to walk. Iggy made his way up to the gazebo, standing on the other side of Ian as he waited for Mickey. When Mickey and Katia reached the front of the isle she released his arm and signaled for him to join his husband.

"We're already married." Mickey muttered, looking at Ian in disbelief. "Why'd you do this?"

"Because I love you, and you deserve an actual wedding." Ian replied, taking his hands gently.

"Ours wasn't bad." Mickey was lying; he was in pain, had to run off at one point to throw up due to his pregnancy, and they were kids.

"Maybe not, but this one is different; it's a new start." Frank cleared his throat loudly, causing both men to turn to the-unusually clean-older man.

"When my son first married Mickey, they were teenagers in a courthouse. Today, they are men with their own home, careers, and two beautiful children. We all know and love these two, and-thanks to some online registration shit-I can gather us here to watch them get their second wedding right. We all know Mickey wasn't prepared for this, so I hope you can bullshit your vows. Ian?"

"When we met, we were just two kids on the Southside with fucked up lives, trying to get by. We became friends, and eventually, if you saw one of us, the other wasn't far behind. The first time you kissed me, I realized I didn't just have a crush; I was in love. I thought I could never love someone more, until you gave me our little girl. Not only did I fall even more in love with you, but I found enough love left in myself to love her more than I would've thought possible.

"But, in the past few months, I hurt you and made you doubt how much I loved you; I never want you to doubt that, again, baby. You're the only person I want-and the only one I'll ever want-for the rest of my life." Ian took a breath, looking into Mickey's eyes. "I'll love you, even after I'm dead; because if there is an after life, I want to spend that with you, too."

"Mickey?" Frank prompted, smiling at his son-in-law.

"Asshole knows I'm not good at this shit." Everyone-excluding Mayla and Kylan-laughed, because Mickey had never been more wrong. "You were the first person who wanted to be around me besides my family. And, before I knew it, you were part of my family. Before we started dating, before we got married, and before Mayla, we were family; that shit doesn't change. You once offered to sit up all night with me because I was too fuckin' scared to open an envelope.

"We've grown up since we got married, but I still love you. Think I always will." Even though he came up with everything he said on the spot, Mickey had everyone in tears.

"Ian Clayton Gallagher, do you take this man to be your husband?" Frank asked, clearly emotional.

"Of fuckin' course I do." Ian replied with a smile just for Ian.

"Mikhailo Aleksandr Gallagher, do you take this man to be your husband?" Frank turned to Mickey, wondering if he would still say yes with everything that's happened.

"Bitch stole my line." Mickey scoffed; that Milkovich sass was back. "Fuckin' yes."

"Then, by the power invested in me by... Whatever fucking website Lip suggested, I now pronounce you... Well, what you've been for eight years. Kiss!" Ian didn't need to be told twice. He pulled his husband into a sweet kiss, only stopping when he felt a small body trying to pry theirs apart.

"Mama!" Kylan screeched, holding his arms up. " don' like, mama!" Mickey laughed, seeing the shirt in disarray from Kylan trying to remove it. Their kiss was cut short, but Mickey thought this wedding was pretty perfect.


	31. Now It's Just You And Me, Until We're Grey And Old

"Ian..." Mickey moaned as his husband drilled into him. "Ian, stop." He gasped when Ian nailed his prostate head-on. Ian stopped moving, looking down at Mickey. 

"What's wrong?" Ian asked, gasping for breath. Mickey reached into the bedside table and fished out a condom, passing it to Ian. "Mick-"

"Look, you told me you just kissed him, and I really wanna fuckin' believe you, but Trev told me the friend who was datin' the piece of shit broke up with him because he didn't tell him he's HIV+... I know we were already fuckin' but, I just... I started thinkin' about it." Mickey mumbled shyly. 

"I swear I never slept with him, baby. I'll get tested, but I promise." Ian pulled out an slipped the condom on, none the less. Ian looked back down at Mickey, brushing his sweat-drenched hair away from his face. "Still can't believe how fuckin' beautiful you are." He whispered softly, placing a sweet kiss on his husband's lips as he thrust back into Mickey. "So perfect." Ian moaned into Mickey's ear.

"Faster." Mickey moaned in response, wrapping his legs around Ian's waist. Ian complied, moving his hips faster, Mickey's moans started to become loud-signaling that Ian had found his prostate, again-causing Ian to silence him with a swift kiss.

"Kids are sleepin' baby." Ian mutter against the spit-slick lips in front of his own. "Gotta stay quiet." He didn't relent his fast, hard thrusts. Both men started biting down on the other's neck or shoulders to keep the volume down until they came simultaneously. "Fuck." Ian groan when he pulled out, removed and tied the condom off, and tossed it in the trashcan beside their bed.

"You serious?" Ian knew what Mickey meant, so he nodded.

"If that's what I gotta do; haven't had to do that since I was fourteen, but yeah, I'll do it." Ian hated that he had damaged the amount of trust Mickey had instilled in him, but his own choices had brought him here. "Mick, no matter how much you hate me for this, I can guarantee you that I hate myself more."

"Don't hate you; just don't trust you, right now." Mickey said quietly. "I love you, but don't change the fact that all I can think about is him tellin' me you could do better when May was three." Ian's eyes took on a murderous edge.

"That was fuckin' Caleb?!" Ian shouted, moving further away from Mickey. He was more disgusted with himself, now, than he had been moments before. "I didn't know." 

"Didn't think you did." Mickey said in a comforting tone. Ian felt like he was gonna be sick; he already knew he'd hurt Mickey, but it just got so much worse. He picked up his phone. "Are you really about to call him?" Mickey demanded, sounding as angry Ian felt.

"Callin' Trev." He whispered, putting his phone on speaker to prove it.

"Hello?" Trevor sounded exhausted when he answered the phone, and Ian felt a little bad for waking the other man.

"Hey... Sorry for wakin' you up, man." Ian apologized, letting out a relived breath when Mickey pressed a kiss to his bare shoulder. "You tell Michael about what happened with me and Caleb?" He remembered during his fit of self-loathing that Caleb had been cheating on someone, too.

"No; only reason I woulda told Mick is 'cause he didn't deserve that shit. Mike can be an asshole." Trevor yawned.

"So can I." Mickey said, letting their friend know he was there.

"Hey, Mouse." Mickey rolled his eyes; he fucking hated that Trevor called him "Mickey Mouse" or "Mouse" any chance he got. "You're an honest asshole, though." Mickey didn't say anything. "Anyway, you worried Mike's gonna find out?"

"Want him to; dude needs to know the kind of guy he was dating." He also knew Mike would bash Caleb's face in; he was a lot like Mickey before he had Mayla in that way. "Wanted Mick to know I'm ownin' up to my shit." Not really the reason he called Trevor, but it couldn't hurt.

"Yeah, probably gonna have a black eye when Mike finds out. You still gonna like him when that pretty face is all messed up, Mouse?" Trevor teased. This was why Mickey liked Trevor; he could talk shit just as easily as him and Ian despite not growing up Southside.

"Who the hell said I thought it was pretty to start with?" Mickey shot back, earning a jab to the ribs, a look of mock hurt on Ian's face, and a harsh bark of laughter from Trevor. "Gonna let you go back to sleep; night, you fuckin' poodle."

"Night, Mouse." Trevor replied in his fake flirting voice. "Oh, yeah, night to you, too, Ian." He returned to his normal voice, causing Mickey to stifle a laugh of his own.

"Should I be worried? With the cutesy nicknames and shit? Don't try to steal my man, Trev; I'm bigger than you." Ian said playfully.

"Bitch, we both know Mouse is too hot for your lanky ass." Mickey liked Trevor even more, now.

"Don't tell him that!" Ian shrieked, throwing himself across Mickey's body. "Don't wanna lose my baby!" Ian, Trevor, and Mickey were all laughing now. "Go to bed, Trev. Love ya, man."

"Love you assholes, too. Remember what I said about Mouse bein' too good for you." Trevor hung up on that note, leaving Mickey and Ian in silence.

"Never gonna forget it." Ian said-seemingly to himself-before closing his eyes. "Love you, baby."

"Love you, too." He may not completely trust him right now, but he knew if Ian kept working as hard as he has been, he'd earn it back. And Mickey was fine with that.


	32. Will You Still Love Me When I'm No Longer Young And Beautiful?

"The fuck are you starin' at, Gallagher?" Mickey snapped, noticing how Ian's eyes had stayed on him all morning. The week after their "second wedding" had been insane to say the least; Ian's tests all came back clean (which helped Mickey trust him marginally more), Kylan had started yelling "fuck" at everyone and everything, and, perhaps most shocking, Frank had told the Gallagher family Monica was dying.

"Nothing; you're just really gorgeous." Ian said as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe.

"You gonna love me when I ain't?" Mickey joked, though the thought that Ian may not feel the same way when he wasn't a twenty-five-year-old with hair that was still pitch black and pale skin without a wrinkle in sight made him nervous.

"You're always gonna be fuckin' gorgeous, baby; even when your hair's white and your ass sags." Mickey laughed, because the thought of Ian loving him when he looked like some geriatric viagroid was hilarious. "You still gonna love me when I look like someone's ballsack?"

"Don't think it's gonna matter if my ass is saggin' and I got white hair that you got a few wrinkles." Ian was laughing his ass off, now. "We're gonna look fuckin' gross, man."

"Nah, we'll still be hot." Ian muttered, wrapping his arms around Mickey's waist from behind, watching Mayla and Kylan run around the backyard together. "Think we'll ever have another one?"

"Yeah." Mickey wanted more kids-or at least one more-with Ian. "Think we'd end up with another one like May or Ky?"

"Hopefully May; I get dirty looks everytime I take Ky to the store and he yells "fuck off" at everyone he sees." Ian said with a cringe. "Kid acts just like you when you were younger."

"Say that like it's a bad thing." Mickey teased, smiling when Mayla "fell" in the ground and Kylan started to tickle her. "She's a good kid."

"Don't know where the hell she got it from." Ian said, watching on in pride as his daughter allowed her brother to crawl all over her. "Don't know if we'd get that lucky, again." Mickey nodded in agreement.

"Could try, though." Mickey said, suddenly very interested in the wood of their back deck.

"Are you serious? You wanna have another baby?" Ian asked, spinning Mickey around to face him. "But, all the shit with-"

"Can't keep livin' in the past." Mickey interrupted Ian. "Don't want the next one to be a surprise; wanna be able to plan for it this time around." Ian's eyes looked unsure, and Mickey fucking hated it. "I already told you, I don't hate you, Ian. And as hard as you're tryin' to get me to trust you again? It's not goin' to waste."

"But do you trust me enough to have a baby with me?" Ian asked, voice low enough that Mayla and Kylan wouldn't hear the word "baby" and come running.

"Wouldn't do it with anyone else." Mickey said honestly, placing a kiss on Ian's lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too... Let's do it. Let's try for another baby." Ian's smile was the same one Mickey remembered from the day he found out about Mayla. They could do this; if they could get past Ian cheating, they could raise three kids.


	33. I Thought I Saw A Sign, Somewhere Between The Lines

"How many fuckin' kids are you two plannin' on having?" Sue asked the next day while she and Ian worked. "Gonna try to one-up your dad?" She teased, seeing the blush on Ian's face.

"Nah, think this is the last time; we both grew up with siblings and always wanted a few kids." Ian said, staring out the window of the Rig. "Think we're about done with the baby stage." despite only being twenty-four and twenty-five, they had been parents for nearly eight years, already.

"You two ain't even thirty, yet!" She laughed loudly, obviously amused by Ian acting like he was an old man.

"First kid was born before I turned eighteen, Sue." He pointed out as if his partner had forgotten. "And dad and Monica over did it."

"Six may be a little extreme, but you seriously think you won't get baby fever, again?" Ian loved kids, sure, but he actually wanted to be able to make time for each child, and he didn't think with more than three he'd really be able to do that. "You want a boy or girl, this time?"

"Wanted two girls since we had May, so I'm hopin' for another girl." He had been thinking of what his second daughter would look like, but couldn't imagine a more beautiful little girl than his Mayla.

"Mick want another boy?" Sue liked Mickey; found his brutal honest refreshing and amusing.

"Hasn't said, think he'd be okay with either." Ian said softly. He honestly didn't care, either-despite always imagining him and Mickey with two little girls-as long as they finally had a child with Mickey's beautiful eyes. "Want one with Mick's eyes."

"He does have some gorgeous fuckin' eyes." Sue said dreamily. "Never seen eyes that blue."

"For the last time, he's not bisexual." Ian said, earning a mock pout from Sue. "And he's mine; locked that shit down years ago."

"His brother that pretty?" Sue asked with genuine curiosity.

"Not in the fuckin' slightest." He laughed at the thought of anyone finding Iggy as attractive as Mickey. "He's not bad, I guess, but Mick got the looks in the family."

"And the brains." She reminded him. "Are all the good ones fuckin' gay?" She asked as she parked the Rig. "I mean, you're such a sweetheart, Mick's smart and hot as fuck, that Trevor guy is fuckin' awesome... Can't find a straight guy like that."

"We're just awesome." Ian joked lightly, while thinking how right she was about his husband.

 

"Daddy's home!" Mayla yelled, running to the front door to hug her father as Mickey walked the floor, cradling a clearly distressed Kylan. "Bubby's sick." She informed him in a sad voice.

"Poor little guy." Ian sighed, rubbing Mayla's hair affectionately. "Want me to take him, baby?" Ian asked his husband, seeing how tired Mickey looked.

"Won't let me put him down." Mickey sighed, shushing Kylan as he cried louder. "Had to leave work early 'Cause he kept screamin' "want mama" at Ma." Ian felt awful that he hadn't been home to help his husband with their sick baby.

"How long's he been like this?" Ian asked, rubbing the small of Mickey's back.

"Left work at ten." It was five o'clock, right now. "Got a fever and couldn't stop pukin' a few hours ago." Mickey informed Ian, sighing as Ian continued to rub the small of his back.

"Hur' mama! Fuck hur'!" They always tried to correct Kylan when he'd say "fuck", but they didn't have the heart to tell him not to say it when they could tell the poor boy was miserable. "Mama, fic!" He begged, hoping Mickey would be able to fix whatever was wrong with him.

"Mama wishes he could, baby boy." Mickey told his son, patting his small, sweaty back in a vein attempt to comfort the boy in his arms. "What hurts, Ky?"

"Hair," He whimpered, touching his forehead. "beldy," He gently touched his stomach. "net," He rubbed his throat. "hur', mama." Kylan buried his face in Mickey's neck. "Dada fic it?" He asked hopefully, looking at Ian with wide, pleading eyes. "Peas?"

"Let daddy hold you and he'll do what he can." Kylan nodded, holding his arms out to Ian, desperate to feel better.

 

"Finally asleep." Ian sighed, flopping down on the bed next to Mickey. "Wish you woulda called me so I could help you with him." He said, resting his head on Mickey's bare stomach.

"Didn't wanna call you home 'cause I couldn't get Ky to sleep or to take medicine." Mickey had seemed exhausted since Ian got home, but he was calm; now he sounded miserable. "Wanted me but I couldn't get him to do anythin' that would help him; just wanted me to hold him."

"That's what he needed from you; he needed his mama to hold him and comfort him. He needed that, because he's not even two." Ian said, looking down at Mickey's flat stomach. "Just like he needed his daddy to be the one who gave him medicine and get him to sleep. You're amazing, Mick; and not just with the kids."

"Always gonna be like that?" Mickey asked, playing with Ian's red hair.

"Might be, but he'll probably grow out of it when he gets a little older." Ian said softly, eyes closing as Mickey continued to stroke his hair. "Probably gonna wake up again in a few hours."

"I'll get him; put his medicine in juice or some shit so I you can get some sleep." Ian mumbled a "thank you" as he fell asleep on his husband's stomach.


	34. You Thought By Now, You'd Have It Figured Out

"Monica wants to have a "family meeting" tonight." Lip told Ian as they sat on the back deck of Ian and Mickey's house smoking. "Wants you there." Lip had been trying to get Ian to "seek closure" or some shit with Monica, but he had no interest. "Should show her how good you've done without her." He gestured around them at the backyard-filled with the kids' toys-and at the house behind them.

"So she can say some shit that'll make Mayla apologize everytime she even looks at me for a week, again? Or make her have another asthma attack?" Ian hadn't even wanted Monica to find out he and Mickey had a second child, but-sadly-she did.

_"God damn it." Ian mumbled as he drove up to the Gallagher house, spotting Fiona standing outside arguing with Monica about something. "Why the hell is she here?" Mickey shrugged from the passenger seat of Ian's SUV. Mayla hadn't noticed the woman standing outside next to her aunt; too preoccupied by talking to her infant brother to even look out the window._

_"Ky sleeps a lot!" Mayla sighed when she finally realized Kylan wasn't listening._

_"He's still a baby, princess; that's pretty much all they do." Ian informed his daughter. "Guess we gotta do this." Ian hated that he'd promised his sister they'd come over today, and he knew Fiona had already seen his car. He parked the SUV and turned to Mickey. "Want me to carry Ky?"_

_"Nah; bitch hates me, she'll ignore me." Mickey was right, but Ian still didn't want Monica near his children. "Come on, Fi's lookin' over here." The couple climbed out of the car, each taking one of their children out of the backseat._

_"See? He's alive. You can leave, now." Fiona told Monica, moving to hug Ian and Mickey before kissing Mayla's cheek. "Hey, beautiful!" She greeted cheerfully, smiling at her niece._

_"Hi Aunty Fi." Mayla said shyly, trying not to look at Monica. Ian hated seeing his daughter-who was usually a social butterfly-so subdued and quiet; it just wasn't his Mayla. "I got my new book." Fiona loved sitting and listening to Mayla read her "beginning reader" books; thought it was sweet how the girl was so proud of herself when she'd learn a new word._

_"Great! You can read to me and Liam!" Mayla nodded, but stepped closer to Ian._

_"Ian, aren't you gonna say hi?" Monica asked, earning her an eye roll from Fiona and Ian while Mickey just shifted the carseat he was carrying and continued to play invisible._

_"No. May, go inside and play with Liam for a minute, okay?" Mayla gave Ian a thankful smile before running up the porch steps and into the house. "Why am I always the one you're lookin' for?" Ian asked, subconsciously taking the carseat out of Mickey's hand._

_"Because you're never around, anymore." Monica pointed out._

_"Because I don't live here. If you remember, you know where I live." He spat, remembering how hurt Mayla looked for weeks after that night._

_"What's that?" She asked, finally noticing the carseat in Ian's hand. She turned to Mickey with a hard stare, making him wish he truly was invisible. "Had another kid you're making him raise?"_

_"No one_ made  _me raise my own kids; I'm just not a piece of shit who dumps them on other people." Ian sighed as he heard Kylan whimper from his carseat and sat it down, ready to pick the baby up._

_"I got him." Mickey said, finally breaking his silence. He kneeled slowly, lifting the tiny redhead out of the seat into his arms. "It's okay, Ky; mama's got you." Mickey had gotten to the point he had actually loved Mayla calling him "mama" and hoped Kylan would fallow her example._

_"Can't get over how much he looks like Ian." Fiona said with a smile, stroking her nephew's cheek._

_"He's beautiful." Monica had shocked all three of the other adults by saying this. "He looks just like you as a baby."_

_"Yeah." He was irrationally angry that she had never gushed over how beautiful Mayla was, and that she had a loving look in her eyes when she looked at Kylan, yet looked at Mayla with disgust._

_"How old is he?" Monica asked, still staring down at Kylan._

_"Six weeks." Mickey answered. Ian didn't miss the way Monica's expression changed. Here she was, gushing over Mickey's son, yet she still hated the man. He wanted to scream at her, but decided against it; at least she was showing interest in one of his children._

_"His name's Ky, right?" She asked, smiling down at Kylan._

_"Kylan; Ky for short." Ian loved Mickey for making an effort to be kind to Monica even though she'd done nothing to deserve it. "Kylan Loxley Gallagher." Mickey kissed Kylan's head._

_"You've never spent this much time with Mayla." Ian finally said, unable to hold his tongue any longer. "Hell, you don't even know your granddaughter's middle name."_

_"Do you really believe she's yours, Ian? She looks nothing like you!" Monica yelled causing Kylan to let out a loud cry. Mickey took the baby inside, knowing this would only get worse._

_"She looks more like Mick, sure, but she's still my fuckin' daughter!" He shouted back. "She's got my eyes, and my fuckin' freckles, she laughs just like me, she talks in her sleep like I do, shit, she acts just like me when I was her age... But you took off when I was five, so you wouldn't know." He turned to Fiona, who was busy picking up Kylan's carseat off the sidewalk._

_"Katelyn." He said as he fallowed Fiona up the path to the house._

_"What?" Monica asked, not sure what Ian meant._

_"Her middle name is Katelyn."_

"I'm not goin'." Ian said simply. "End of story; I got my closure the second I realized she could never love her own granddaughter." He walked inside, leaving Lip on the back deck alone.


	35. Thank You For All You've Done, Forgive All Your Mistakes

"You gotta go, babe." Mickey said, standing in their bedroom doorway with Kylan on his hip. "She's your mom." Mickey continued, patting the still sick boy on his back.

"She's the person who gave birth to me." Ian corrected. He didn't consider Monica a mother to him after everything that had happened, and he didn't want to see her in a situation where the whole family was forgiving her and crying over her impending death.

"What if that's all May and Ky consider me when they get older? Would you understand if they didn't at least come see me before I died?" Ian felt a pang in his chest. He never wanted to think of Mickey dying; if he had his choice he'd go before Mickey so he never had to live through it.

"You love Mayla and Kylan." Ian combatted. He hated that Mickey was using himself as a way to make Ian consider going to see Monica. "You wouldn't abandon them."

"No, but I'm gonna fuck up in some other way, Ian; I ain't a fuckin' saint just because I love them." Kylan made a small whimpering sound, clutching Mickey's black t-shirt. "You're her favorite, babe-everyone knows it-and even if she fuckin' hates me, she loves you." Mickey said, kissing Kylan's messy red hair.

"She hates my husband and my daughter; she only gave a shit about Kylan because he looks just like me." Ian knew he was being immature about it, but he'd always hold what happened the night with Terry against her. "She almost made me lose you and May; hell, if she got her way Kylan wouldn't fuckin' exist!" He sat on the bed, looking down at his feet.

"If I had a chance, I woulda told the piece of shit who helped make me goodbye," Mickey gently laid the sleeping toddler on their bed, resting his hand on the boy's stomach, and sat beside Ian. "I'd thank him for showin' me how not to treat my family, tell him I understand what it's like to hate the guy in the mirror, and know what?" Ian looked up at Mickey, eyes locking on the man who suddenly seemed so much older than twenty-five. "I'd forgive him for makin' me hate myself, for the way he treated all of us, and for hatin' his own granddaughter because his son's gay."

"When'd you turn into the wise one?" Ian teased, wishing Mickey could've had that conversation with his father.

"Gotta be when you're holdin' an eight year grudge." Mickey said with a shrug. "Go tonight; tell Monica goodbye, that your kids ain't gonna know what it's like to live without you, thank her for givin' you Fiona, Lip, Carl, Debs, and Liam, and tell her you forgive her for that night even if it's bullshit." Mickey placed his hand on the back of Ian's neck, still staring into his eyes. "Be the bigger man."

"She's like, five-four; kinda think I already am." Ian joked, feeling tears in his eyes. "I don't know why I'm sad; she hasn't done shit for me." He finally admitted.

"Because she's family." Mickey said simply.

"I don't want my mom to die." Ian whispered, finally allowing himself to cry for the woman he's hated for the past eight years of his life. "I want her to learn to love you the way the rest of my family does, I want her to love Mayla, and I want her to be a fuckin' mom!" He sobbed pathetically.

"I know, baby." Mickey soothed, running his hand along Ian's spine. "Wanted that shit with Terry."

"I'm sorry I took that away." Ian said dismally.

"You did what you had to, Ian, and I don't fuckin' blame you for a second." Mickey may have wanted his father to turn a new leaf, but he had no plans to do so.

Mickey couldn't tell you how long Ian cried before Mayla slowly made her way into the room and Kylan woke up, both moving to hold and comfort their hysterical father.

"Yub dadda." Kylan said, patting Ian's cheek. "Dadda happy now!" He cheered, making Mickey chuckle a little at the childish innocence; at believing a simple "love you" fixed everything.

"It'll be okay, daddy." Mayla comforted in a more mature manner than Mickey or Ian knew their daughter was capable of. "You can cry, we're here." Ian pulled both children into his lap, letting himself cry as both kids hugged him. He knew he needed to go tonight; he had to say his goodbyes, but first, he needed something from his kids.

"Princess, can you do daddy a favor?" He finally asked, looking down at his daughter with red-rimmed eyes.

 

"Didn't think you were comin', sweetface." Fiona greeted when Ian walked into the Gallagher house that night.

"Wasn't gonna; Mick talked me into it." He sat at the table with his family, avoiding Monica's eyes for as long as he could.

"Guess I'll start?" Lip asked, looking around at his siblings, getting nods in response. "Fiona raised us, but you're still our mother... and I do love you." Lip sat back down, watching as Fiona stood next.

"I thought you took away my chance to be young by leavin' me five kids, but now I realize you gave me  _my_ children. So thank you." Fiona said, looking around the table at the great kids she'd raised; she really had done a great fucking job. Fiona sat, offering Carl a supportive smile as he stood next.

"To be honest, I don't have many memories of you as a kid, but I remember thinking you had the best smile... and that's what I'm gonna remember about you." Carl sat quickly, embarrassed by showing his softer side. Debbie fallowed him.

"I just wanna thank you for the other people sitting here, because they're fuckin' amazing. And part of that, came from you." Debbie sat back down, and little Liam stood up.

"Fiona isn't my real mom, but she also is... Even though you are my real mom, I barely know you. That doesn't mean I don't love you, because I do; you're my family, and family loves each other." Liam sat, and everyone turned to watch Frank.

"You will always be the love of my life, and I'll forever be thankful that we made such wonderful children; children I'm more proud of with every passing day. We had one of those loves you can't replicate, and I'll cherish it for the rest of my life, Moni." Frank sat down; time for Ian to go.

"Guess that means it's my turn." He said, slowly standing up. "I didn't want to come here tonight, because I'm still fuckin' hurt by everything you've done; leaving us, forcing Fiona to grow up so soon, telling Terry about Mickey bein' pregnant when you knew what he'd do, for hatin' my daughter, and for just not givin' a shit about us. But, then Mick made me realize that I owe you a huge thank you, because you're the reason for my family; in more ways than one.

"If it wasn't for you, I would've never met Mickey, I wouldn't have brothers and sisters who love me, I wouldn't have a dad who learned to be a good father and fuckin' awesome grandfather to my two kids, and I wouldn't fuckin' be here. So thank you, Monica, because you gave me a pretty great life, at the end of the day. And I wanna say, I forgive you for all the times you let us down, or broke our hearts, because I know it wasn't all your fault. I forgive you for everything, because I do love you."

Ian took the two sheets of paper and the photograph out of his coat pocket, taking a steadying breath. "The drawing is from Kylan," He handed over the paper covered in brightly colored scribbles. "the picture is from me; it's May and Ky playin' with the toy truck you got me for my fifth birthday." He passed her the photograph of Mayla and Kylan sitting in their living room floor with a beat up, red toy truck. "Ky calls it "mama's car" 'cause it looks like Mick's truck."

He finally handed a teary-eyed Monica the last piece of paper. "This is from Mayla. I thought you might wanna know somethings about her, because she's a great kid; calls you "Nana Moni" after she heard dad call you Moni." Monica shakily unfolded the note, not sure what to expect. "Had to ask Mick and I how to spell a few things, but all her words." Ian mumbled, watching Monica.

 

_"Dear Nana Moni,_

_Daddy was real sad, and he said you were sick. He asked me to write you a letter and tell you about me. My name is Mayla Katelyn Gallagher, my birthday is January 17, I'm seven, and I have a baby brother named Kylan Loxley Gallagher, he's one and looks like my daddy._

_Daddy says I look like mama cause I have black hair, but it's okay because mama is pretty. I like to read books and draw pictures, and I like to play with my baby brother. I like school and my teacher says I'm smart, Uncle Lip says I'm smart like him._

_Daddy is gonna teach me to ride my bike soon and mama said if I do good in school we can get a kitty cause he can't have puppies. They make him sneeze. I hope you feel better soon, Nana Moni. I love you._

_Mayla Katelyn Gallagher."_

Monica was crying by the end of Mayla's letter. "She sounds wonderful." Monica whispered. "Thank you, Ian." Ian nodded. "I love you all, and I'm sorry I wasn't a very good mom... that was all I wanted to say." Monica swallowed hard. "You are all amazing people."

 

"How'd it go?" Mickey asked from his seat on the couch, a child asleep on either side of him.

"Told her what you said to; she cried when she read May's letter." Ian replied, sitting on the couch. "You know how I know our kids ain't gonna feel like I do about Monica?" He asked, watching Kylan snuggled closer to Mickey.

"How?" Mickey asked, pulling Kylan's favorite spiderman blanket tighter around him.

"Because this right here? It ain't somethin' I'd have done with Monica; I love her, because she's my mom, but I can't imagine just wanting to sit with her and fall asleep with my head on her lap, or that I'd just want her to hold me when I got sick. Our kids know you love the shit outta them." Mickey let out a small laugh.

"You feel any better?" Mickey asked Ian softly.

"Yeah, in the end she knows I love her. That's what's important." Mickey nodded and tipped his head to the side, silently telling Ian to join the rest of the family on the couch. "Never gonna go a fuckin' day without tellin' them how much I love them... And you." Ian promised sincerely. He would learn from Monica's mistakes; not repeat them.


	36. Dad Always Told Me Don't You Cry When You're Down

"Ian?" Mickey had woken up alone in their bed, only to find his husband sitting alone in the living room with his phone in his hands. "You okay, babe?" He asked softly, sitting down next to Ian, already suspecting what must have happened.

"When I was a kid dad told me not to cry when life got me down; I do, sometimes, but I always end up thinkin' "dad said it lets people know when you're vulnerable", you know?" Ian mused in an emotionless tone that concerned Mickey more than him sitting alone in the dark. "Lip was cryin' when he called." Mickey hated that he was right; that he already knew what had happened. "Barely managed to tell me she died."

"Baby..." Mickey wasn't sure what to say; he felt free when Terry died, but he knew that wasn't how Ian felt. "Baby, I'm sorry." He whispered, moving closer to Ian on the couch.

"I was thinkin', what if May or Ky don't care when I die? What if I fuck up like she did and they end up hatin' me?" Mickey blinked, trying to figure out where that came from. Sure, he'd tried to explain the situation to Ian the night before by using himself and the kids as an example, but he never thought this would be a concern for Ian. "I couldn't fuckin' live with myself if my babies hated me."

"Ian, those kids fuckin' love you," Mickey said, taking Ian's face in his hands. "they think their daddy is a fuckin' superhero! And they're right; you spend all day at work savin' lives, then you come home and and play in the floor with them like you're not fuckin' exhausted. You saved Mayla's life before she was even born, Ian." He kissed Ian's forehead gently. "Those kids are never gonna hate you."

"What about you?" Ian asked, sounding worn out. "I killed your dad, Mick; fuck, I cheated on you! Who says you won't decide you hate me, one day and leave? That you won't marry someone else who the kids love because they  _choose_ to, not because they have to?"

"Hey, stop that shit." Mickey ordered, staring so deeply into Ian's eyes the redhead was sure he could see his soul. "I'm never gonna hate you, baby. You saved our daughter-saved me-when you shot that fucker. And yeah, it hurt like shit when you cheated, but did you do it 'cause you don't love me; don't want me?"

"Could never not want you." Ian muttered sincerely.

"Then why the fuck would it matter, anymore? We're movin' past that, baby. And you're fuckin' stuck with me." He said the last part with a tiny smirk. "Gonna get sick of me?"

"Don't think it's possible." Ian said, placing his hands over Mickey's where they rested on the side of his face.

"Good." He moved closer to Ian-close enough to be almost in his lap-and stroked his arm softly. "And fuck what Frank said; cry if you need to. I'll fuckin' sit here all night with you if I gotta so you can get it all out." Ian rested his head on Mickey's shoulder, resting his hand on his stomach the way he had since he was pregnant with Mayla.

"Don't know if it's really hit me, yet." Ian admitted. "Kinda feels like a dream, right now."

"Then you can cry when it does." Mickey said into Ian's hair. "For now, we'll just stay here, okay?"

"When did you turn into the comforting type?" Ian asked, playfully.

"Had two kids with a superhero." Mickey said as softly as possible. "Had to learn so I could fit in." Ian laughed at that, his body vibrating against Mickey's side. "Need to talk about it?"

"No. Just wanna go back to bed with my superhero husband." Ian extracted himself from Mickey's side, slowly standing up. "Gotta get some sleep before the rest of the Incredibles wake up."

"Think we're a kid short for that." Mickey hated that he knew how many kids were in that fucking movie, but he hadn't watched a movie that didn't have the Disney logo at the beginning in years.

"We'll get our JackJack, soon, love." Ian said with a wink. "Come on. Bed." Mickey rolled his eyes, but fallowed his man to bed, anyway.

 

"Kinda like the name Jack if we have another boy." Mickey muttered into Ian's chest later, both still naked with cooling sweat on their skin. "Jack Gallagher sounds kinda cool."

"What about his middle name?" Ian asked, playing with the silver band on Mickey's ring finger. "'Cause I might ask for a divorce if you seriously named our kid JackJack."

"Asshole." Mickey slapped his chest, getting a laugh from Ian. "You had a name you thought of for a boy before we found out for sure May was a girl-Rowen-kinda like that."

"Jack Rowen Gallagher... You know, as close as Rowen is to Ronan Lip's gonna tell everyone we named the baby after him." Ian commented, earning another slap. "I like it."

"We just named a kid I ain't even pregnant with." Mickey laughed with a shake of his head. "Might be gettin' a little ahead of ourselves, Gallagher."

"You gotta stop callin' me that; you're a Gallagher, too." Ian said. "What if we get a few for each? That way we don't have our hearts set on somethin' right away."

"Got Elara Quinn for a girl and Jack Rowen for a boy... You got another boy name?" Mickey asked in a tired voice.

"Why? You got a girl name?" Mickey nodded against his chest. "I wanna hear it!" Ian exclaimed, looking down at Mickey.

"Marley Jayden... Not namin' my kid fuckin' Monica Jean, but..." He trailed off, wondering if Ian would be okay with this. "Got May's middle name from Ma, thought it was only fair."

"I love you so fuckin' much." Ian said, voice slightly hoarse as if he might cry. "I love it. Thank you." He kissed Mickey's head. "Really did marry a fuckin' superhero."

"Gonna tell me your boy name?" Mickey just wanted the attention off himself.

"Aleksandr Mason... Can call him Alek for short." Ian had been thinking about it since they decided to try for another child; about naming them after the man in his arms. "Should name our kid after someone fuckin' amazing, right?"

"Not amazing." Mickey murmured, standing up to retrieve his boxers; they didn't have the luxury of being able to sleep naked.

"Yeah, you are." Ian replied, fishing his own boxers off the floor. "How many people you know who could get pregnant in high school, still graduate at the top of their class-four months early, too-get their certification to become a mechanic while raising a newborn, get a college degree while raising two young kids, and do it all before they turned thirty?" Mickey was blushing, now. "I married a fuckin' amazing man. And I want our kids to be just like him."

"Always liked the name Aleksandr more than Mikhailo." Mickey admitted, softly. "Can we go to sleep, now?"

"Come 'ere." Ian said, signaling for Mickey to lay back down with him. Mickey complied, resting his head back on Ian's chest. "I love you, Iron Man."

"Iron Man?" Mickey asked with a raised eyebrow and a laugh.

"Movie version. You're short, sarcastic, sexy as fuck, and smart as shit. So, Iron Man." Ian stood by his statement.

"Love you, too, Captain America." Mickey said, kissing over Ian's heart.

"Why Captain America?" Ian asked, wrapping his arms around Mickey's slim waist.

"Tall, handsome, strong, brave, and good." Mickey replied with a shrug.

"Night, shellhead." Ian whispered, closing his eyes.

"Night, Shield boy." Mickey replied as he fell asleep.


	37. I Hurt Myself By Hurting You

Ian wasn't sure he could look at his mother in a casket; he was half tempted to stay with his kids when they got to Katia's house. "How is my Ian?" Katia asked, pulling Ian into a tight embrace as soon as he stepped through the door with his family.

"Yeah, not like your son and grandkids are here; totally fine to only love the pretty one." Mickey joked, laying Kylan down on the couch so he could continue his nap. Mayla laughed, watching Mickey carefully taking her brother's shoes off but still making sly remarks to her grandmother.

"My Ian is very beautiful," Katia agreed, kissing Ian's cheek in a loving manner. "but so is my Mikhailo." Katia dropped a kiss on Mickey's head and winked at Mayla as Mickey huffed in irritation. "But my Mayla and Kylan are much more beautiful." Katia held her arms open, waiting for Mayla to leap into them the way she always did. Mayla didn't disappoint, wrapping her arms tightly around her grandmother. "You never answered me, Ian."

"Still not sure, mama." He answered honestly. He felt bad, being able to call his mother-in-law "mama" so easily-having still called his own mother "Monica" the last time he saw her-but Katia Milkovich had been a maternal figure in his life since the age of five. "Sad, but also guilty, I guess? I coulda dropped this shit years ago." Katia kissed Mayla on the head before setting her on the couch and making her way over to Ian.

"Come smoke with me; I do not smoke around the babies." Ian knew that was the truth, but that Katia also had something to say to him, so he fallowed his mother-in-law onto the front porch, taking the cigarette she offered him, gratefully. "When my Vigo was born, I barely spoke a word of English; I was angry that I could not go to school because of his father. I was so angry, but I still loved my Vigo from the moment I held him in my arms; could not imagine hurting a hair on his little head.

"Terry did not want me to have my Mikhailo; said I was too small and the baby would be very weak. I did, though, because I loved him." Ian nodded along as they smoked, not sure what Katia's point was, but still being thankful that she chose to give birth to the amazing man he had woken up to this morning. "Terry loved Vigo; said he was a strong boy from the moment he was born. Mikhailo, though... Mikhailo was always beautiful, and was never big, and Terry hated that about him.

"He loved Amanda when she was little, but he never felt any love for my Mikhailo. I realized when he was very young that people like Terry could make children, but were not parents." Katia exhaled a cloud of smoke and watched it dance delicately in the wind. "Monica was a lot like him; she may not have physically hurt her children, but she was never a mother." Ian should have been upset, but he found himself agreeing with Katia.

"What Monica did is not something you should feel guilty for being hurt by, because-in that moment-you proved you were more of a parent than her or Terry had ever been. And I will always be thankful that you saved my Milhailo and kept my sweet granddaughter alive." Katia took one of Ian's large hands in both of her smaller ones. "Do not spend the rest of your life feeling guilt or anger; you should feel sadness for her, because she did not know love the way you, Mikhailo, or I do.

"She created wonderful, beautiful children, but their mother was a girl forced to be an adult because Monica could not put the needs of her children before her own. Think about this... Would you walk away from Mayla and Kylan?" Ian shook his head; sick at the very idea of leaving his babies behind. "Then you know what it is to truly be a parent and love someone fully." Katia stood up, dusting off her jeans as she did.

"Thanks, mama." Ian said, standing up with Katia. "Mick's lucky he's got you." He said honestly, pulling her into a hug.

"You have me, too, Ian." She whispered, patting his back, softly. "Go say goodbye to Monica, then come back and show your children they are loved." Ian nodded into her hair. He had heard Mickey say he hoped Mayla grew up to be the kind of woman Katia was, and now he could honestly say he hoped for the same thing; hoped his daughter would love the way the small woman in his arms does.


	38. Just Say You Won't Let Go

Ian made it halfway through Monica's funeral service before running outside. He sat there, holding Mickey's hand so tightly he was sure he'd left bruises, and stared at his mother's lifeless body until he couldn't deal with it, anymore. He ended up chain smoking on the sidewalk with his arms rested on his knees, staring down at the gutter. That was where Mickey found him about ten minutes later.

"Hey." Mickey said, taking a seat next to Ian and plucking the cigarette from his hand. "Made it longer than I expected." Mickey commented, taking a drag off Ian's cigarette.

"Didn't think I'd make it that long, either." Ian said, taking the cigarette back as Mickey offered it. "Thought I'd break down fuckin' cryin' or something." He watched Mickey ad he nodded his head. "Figured you'd fallow me right out." Ian admitted, wondering what took his husband so long.

"Debbie started fuckin' cryin'... Didn't wanna leave her." Ian loved how much Mickey cared for his siblings. "You okay?"

"You know what really got to me in there?" Mickey shook his head as he lit his own cigarette, waiting for Ian to continue. "Dad talkin' about how much he loved her; made me think of us. I just... I can't fuckin' imagine living without you." Ian sighed, turning to face the brunette man fully. "The way dad loved Monica... Not even fuckin' close to how much I love you."

"Hey, I'm not goin' anywhere, baby." Mickey said, lacing his fingers with Ian's much longer ones. "Stuck with my ass."

"Love your ass." Ian tried to joke, though his eyes still looked haunted. "Love all of you."

"Love you, too. We're okay, Ian; we're not goin' anywhere." Ian nodded, lifting Mickey's chin go place a kiss on his full lips. "What do I gotta do?" Mickey asked softly, cupping Ian's face in his pale hands.

"Don't let go." Mickey nodded again, pulling Ian into a hug they both needed.

 

"Guess we got both of 'em." Mickey whispered, trying to squeeze into his and Ian's bed with Ian and both children. "Know it gets annoyin' when we ain't got room to fuckin' move, but I'm gonna miss this, someday." He brushed a few stray pieces of fiery red hair away from Kylan's face as he spoke, smiling down at his baby boy as he slept.

"Love when they wanna sleep with us; just proves we're doin' a good job." Ian commented, reaching over both children to take Mickey's hand in his own. "May looks even more like you when she's sleepin'."

"Poor kid." Mickey joked. He knew his daughter looked more like him than Ian, but he didn't see as much of a resemblance as Ian seemed to. "Guess Ky's our looker, huh?"

"Bullshit, May's fuckin' beautiful. How could she not be? She looks like her mama." Mickey tried to hide his blush against Kylan's head but Ian saw it. "We make cute fuckin' kids." Ian whispered, looking at their two beautiful babies in utter amazement. "Hope you know we're lockin' May away until she's forty."

"She's gonna hate us." Mickey laughed, picturing how Mandy would've reacted to someone telling her she couldn't date. "But, yeah; no fuckin' way anyone's good enough for my baby girl."

"Hell no." Ian agreed. "Think the next one's finally gonna be a combination?" Ian asked without looking away from Mayla and Kylan as they slept. "May's got freckles and green eyes, but she's basically you made over, and Ky looks exactly fuckin' like me... Kinda want at least one kid who looks like both of us."

"Liar, you just want a kid with blue eyes." Mickey teased. "Would love to know why you're so obsessed with that."

"You're eyes are amazing, baby; they're the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen. I want one of our kids to get those gorgeous eyes." Ian said, his own eyes starting to droop. "Bound to happen, eventually."

"If it don't this time you're shit outta luck 'cause I'm not tryin' to one up fuckin' Frank; three is enough." Mickey replied, allowing his own eyes to close. "Want another girl, though."

"Yeah?" Ian asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

"Yeah. Maybe another little redhead." Mickey yawned, pulling Kylan closer to him.

"Why another redhead?" Ian asked. He was listening, and he loved hearing Mickey talk about their kids, but right now he just wanted him to keep talking as his own personal lullaby.

"Always thought you were fuckin' cute with the red hair and freckles; kinda always thought we'd have two little redheads runnin' around, but Mayla got stuck with my hair." Mickey muttered, clearly half asleep. "Know you wanted another girl last time, anyway." Ian didn't reply, simply snored softly as he slept, Mayla cuddled into his chest. Mickey smiled, imagining them trying to sleep with three children in bed with them instead of two. Even if it meant waking up with a stiff back from having no room, he couldn't wait.


	39. Your Mouth Is Poison, Your Mouth Is Wine

Mickey had both kids with him when he arrived at the dispatch garage the next Saturday to bring Ian his lunch. "Hi, Miss Sue." Mayla greeted, keeping a close eye on Kylan as he looked around for Ian from his spot in Mickey's arms. 

"Hi, May!" Sue replied, smiling down at the little brunette. "Your daddy had to change his uniform, he'll be out in a minute." She informed, smiling at Mickey who was trying to keep a very excited Kylan under control. "Thought that one was a mama's boy?"

"Usually is; been hooked on Ian all damn week." Mickey sighed, shifting Kylan on his hip. "Kylan Loxley, stop." Mickey said in his authoritative parent tone, causing Kylan to stop trying to wiggle out of his hold. Ian's laugh caused his family to turn, seeing him buttoning his uniform shirt.

"Still in a daddy mood, little monster?" Ian asked, taking Kylan into his arms. "Though Mama was the favorite?"

"Lub mama, lub dadda." Kylan giggled, climbing up onto Ian's shoulders. "Eat!" He screeched, holding on to Ian's neck.

"Guess that means monster is hungry." Ian laughed, watching Mayla calmly take Mickey's hand so they could walk to the small park.

"Gallagher! Someone left this for you!" Rita yelled, walking into the garage and handing Ian a sealed envelope. "Said you needed to get it right away." Ian nodded-despite his confusion-and fallowed Mickey out with Kylan still hanging off his shoulders.

 

"Gonna open it?" Mickey asked once they'd finished lunch and the kids had run off to play in the sandbox.

"Not even sure who'd send me a fuckin' letter; anyone I talk to just calls or texts me." Ian said as he tore the envelope open, finding unfamiliar hand writing inside.

_"Ian,_

_Trevor told me about your mom, and I'm sorry. I hope you were smart enough to cut Caleb out of your life completely before it happened, because I can say from experience he feels no sympathy for anyone else; he can convince you you does, but he honestly only cares about himself. Trevor's told me about your husband, and he sounds like the guy who'd be there for you when needed him, unlike that bastard I was stupid enough to waste two years._

_Men like him remind me of one of those songs they play at fucking hipster coffee shops; "Your Mouth Is Poison, Your Mouth Is Wine" or some shit like that. Says and does toxic shit, but makes it seem so sweet. I guess my point of writing this, was to tell you to hold on to a good thing, and don't let the assholes with pretty words make you doubt a good thing._

_Sorry for your loss,_

_Mike."_

"I help the guy's boyfriend cheat on him, and he gives me awesome fuckin' advice." Ian said with a humorless laugh. "Makes me seem like an even bigger asshole than before."

"Nah, think it just means that asshole pulls shit like that pretty frequently." Mickey amended, resting his head on Ian's shoulder. "Makes me sound fuckin' awesome, though." He half joked.

"'Cause you are, baby." He kissed Mickey's forehead. "Gonna keep this; remind myself what a great fuckin' thing I got." Mickey nodded, but just sat there watching Mayla help Kylan build a sand castle. "Gonna get another one, someday." He promised Mickey like he could read the brunette man's mind.

"Been a few months... didn't even have to try the other three times." Mickey whispered as he continued to watch their kids. "Kinda wonder if this is some cosmic fuckin' punishment for not tellin' you about the baby."

"Hey, you did what you thought was best for both of us; there is nothing you need to be fuckin' punished for." Ian said, moving to kneel in front of Mickey. "We'll get there; might take some time, but we'll get another baby."

"Anhel shoulda been here." Mickey said miserably. He saw the confused look on Ian's face. "Means Angel in Ukrainian."

"Anhel... Guess they got a name, huh?" Ian asked, trying to get Mickey to look back at him. "As much as it fuckin' hurts that we don't get to be with them-to watch them grow up-it just wasn't our turn to love them." Mickey looked over Ian's head at their two children laughing and playing. "But now? Now is our time, baby."

"We'll get there." Mickey repeated, watching Kylan knock over the sand castle with a laugh. "It's our time." Ian leaned over, placing a kiss on Mickey's knee. Even though Mickey was still worried, he would hold out hope that they would have another child, someday.


	40. And Baby My Heart Could Still Fall As Hard At 23

"You need to fuckin' shave, Ian!" Mandy exclaimed when Ian kissed her cheek at Sunday dinner. "Look fuckin' homeless." She looked to her brother for help, but Mickey simply shrugged.

"I like it." Mickey informed his sister, running his fingertips along the stubble residing on Ian's jaw. "Looks hot." Ian smirked in triumph, wrapping an arm around his husband's waist.

"Got a thing for homeless guys, baby?" Ian teased in a flirtatious tone that had his siblings and Mandy rolling their eyes.

"Got a thing for hot fuckin' redheads." Mickey flirted back, nipping the underside of Ian's jaw.

"You two are fuckin' gross; the flirty shit should stop once you have kids." Carl groaned, dramatically covering Kylan's eyes as the boy ate some spaghetti noodles off his little plastic plate.

"Just 'cause we got kids don't mean we stopped being attracted to each other, shithead." Ian deadpanned, pulling his brother's hands away from his son's eyes so the toddler could eat.

"Wan' noos, CarCar?" Kylan asked sweetly, holding a single piece of pasta out to his Uncle.

"Why the hell are they this cute?" Carl asked, taking the pasta and nibbling on Kylan's chubby fingers. "Seriously, kids are usually annoying as fuck." Kylan was giggling now, picking up more food to feed his "CarCar" so he'd playfully bite him, again. "You gotta eat, bubba." Carl told his nephew softly, making the boy pout.

"CarCar no noos?" Kylan asked looking hurt that his Uncle didn't want to share. "Dada noos?" He asked, offering Ian some of his dinner. Ian took it, kissing the boy's chubby hands as he ate.

"When May was his age you let her eat regular spaghetti, why not Ky?" Kev asked, watching Kylan happily stuff his face with pasta.

"Allergic to tomatoes." Mickey replied easily, taking a seat next to his daughter who was eating her own spaghtti. "Don't wanna spend another night at the hospital just so he can eat sauce." Everyone was still a little shocked to see what a good parent Mickey was even after all this time. "Wipe your face, May."

Mayla complied, wiping pasta sauce off her pale face. "What?" Mickey asked when he realized Kev, Vee, Carl, Mandy, and Lip were all staring at him.

"How the hell do you two remember all of that shit? May's asthma triggers, Ky's allergies, which kid can't sleep alone when it storms... Just seems like a lot." Mandy asked her brother, watching as he handed Mayla a slice of garlic toast.

"You gotta when you have kids," Mickey told his sister without looking away from his daughter. "you learn it from experience." Ian nodded in agreement, handing Kylan a sippy cup of juice. "We gotta know what Ky can't eat, or what we gotta avoid with May so she can keep breathin' without a problem, so we just gotta remember shit that seems like a lot to other people."

"Am I really taking parenting advice from the guys who had their first one before they could even legally buy smokes?" Kev joked. He was both impressed and jealous of how naturally Mickey and Ian had taken to parenthood; he wondered why it came so easily to Mickey to love his kids more than anyone or anything and to remember each of their specific needs, while Vee couldn't seem to do it for their twins.

"Honestly, sometimes I think it's a good thing that we had Mayla so young; we sorta just grew up with her." Ian said, causing everyone to stare at him, now.

"Ain' it hard? Puttin' someone who can't do shit for themselves first?" Vee asked the redhead, who shook his head adamantly.

"Loved her before she was even born, so why would it be?" Mickey smiled softly at his husband's words, knowing Ian was right. "Besides, not like she asked to be born to a couple of kids who had no fuckin' idea what they were doin'; so why not try our fuckin' hardest to be good parents?"

"You better take fuckin' notes on this shit, Phillip." Mandy warned her husband. "If you're not as good with our kid as Ian is with his two I'm kickin' your ass."

"You two tryin'?" Mickey asked his younger sister. "Gotta warn ya, you'll hate him once you're about four months along."

"Been tryin' for about two years." Mandy admitted shyly, looking down at her plate. "Finally happened, though." For some reason, Mandy expected Mickey to lecture her-despite him having two children by the time he was her age-but his face just broke into a wide grin.

"How far along?" Mickey asked as everyone else sat in silence; shocked by Mandy's revelation. Mickey stood and hugged his sister without waiting for her to reply, fallowed by Ian and then Carl.

"About two months," Lip told his brother-in-law. "we wanted to be sure before we told anyone." Mickey nodded in understanding. "Thought we were before Ky was born, but... Obviously that didn't happen."

"Not always as easy as these two make it look; I swear, if Mickey looks at Ian without a condom he's knocked up." Debbie joked, causing everyone to laugh except for Mickey and Ian. "You okay, Mick?" She asked, sobering up when she realized Mickey didn't seem to find her joke as funny as everyone else.

"Yeah. Hard to believe my little sister is havin' a baby." Everyone-excluding Mickey's husband-seemed to believe him and went about their normal conversation without giving it too much thought.

 

"You okay, baby?" Ian asked when he got out of the shower that night, only to find his husband sitting against their headboard. "I know we want another one, but Mandy deserves this for putting up with Lip's shit for so many years."

"Nah, I'm happy for her. Just started thinkin'... It fuckin' sucks, not bein' able to get pregnant when you've been tryin'. And, Debs is right; the first time I got pregnant was the night I fuckin' lost my virginity, the second time my birth control failed, and the third time I fuckin' forgot to take it a few times 'cause I had a lot of shit goin' on. Maybe it's not so bad that it ain't happened just yet; don't mean it won't." Ian laid on the bed, watching as Mickey sat their with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"We had it pretty easy the first few times." Ian agreed, laying his head on Mickey's lap. "This time we just gotta work for it."

"If what we gotta do to make a fuckin' baby was work I wouldn't hate goin' to my damn job." Ian bit down on Mickey's thigh, causing him to jump. "The fuck was that for?"

"Nope. Not fuckin' anyone else; you're stuck with me." Ian said childishly, wrapping both arms around Mickey's legs. "Mine."

"You're twenty four years old, Ian." Mickey whined, trying to pull his legs away from Ian-and cover up his laugh-as Ian kept tightening his hold on the other man's thick thighs.

"Fell for you when I was twelve, fell harder at fifteen, even harder at twenty, and even harder than that at twenty three." Ian mumbled against Mickey's leg. "Gonna keep fallin' harder until I fuckin' die. So you're mine and no one else gets to touch you."

"Okay, tough guy. Get up here so I can go to sleep." Mickey didn't mind Ian holding him and cuddling close, but he'd rather have his handsome redhead's arms around his waist and his breath against his neck.

"But they're such good pillows." Ian whined pathetically, nuzzling his scruffy face against the pale leg under him. "Wanna stay here."

"I want you to hold me so I can sleep." Mickey replied, pouting down at the man laying in his lap. "Please?" Ian was powerless against those fucking eyes, so he moved up the bed, pulling Mickey to him and closing his eyes. "Love you." Mickey slurred, eyes closed and face buried in the crook of Ian's neck.

"Love you, too, baby." Ian muttered back without opening his eyes. He wasn't lying; he fell more in love with this man every day, and didn't plan to stop any time soon.


	41. I Choose To Be Happy

As Mandy's pregnancy progressed, she turned to Mickey more and more for advice-which started to really get on his fucking nerves after awhile-and spent more and more time with her brother, brother-in-law, niece, and Nephew. Mickey loved the amount of time she spent with his children, but knew that-at eight and almost two-it wouldn't truly help her prepare for her own child. "Don't remember you bein' this fuckin' big!" Mandy exclaimed as she tried to lower herself onto the couch beside Mickey.

"Was with Ky, but he was bigger than May." Mickey remembered the stark contrast between his pregnancy with his five and a half pound daughter and his seven and a half pound son; he couldn't believe how much of a difference two pounds made in the grand scheme of things.

"You had a cute little bump with May." Mandy remembered fondly, smiling as she watched her niece sit on the floor coloring as her nephew built a tower out of Legos. "She was the cutest fuckin' baby," Mandy caught sight of Mickey's glare and knew exactly what he was thinking. "they're both beautiful, but she had that full head of dark hair and she was so fuckin' tiny!"

"Seventeen inches long and five and a half pounds." Mandy turned to Mickey with wide eyes. "What?" He asked, handing Mayla the blue crayon Kylan had decided to throw.

"How the hell do you remember that shit?" She asked, amazed that-after eight years-her brother remembered Mayla's measurements from the day she was born.

"She's my kid; remember everything about her. You will, too, when he gets here." Mickey noticed Mandy smiling down at her large baby bump, but decided to let her have her moment with her son. "You guys decide on his name, yet?" 

"Arden." Mandy said softly. "Arden Michael Gallagher." She said his name with so much pride it made Mickey smile. "Lip chose his middle name; said he remembered you tellin' Ma not to let me or Iggy name our kid Mikhailo."

"That was over eight years ago. And why does that matter?" Mickey took the picture Mayla handed him and smiled. "That's good, sweet girl."

"I wanted to name him after you, but Lip said you'd be pissed if his name was "Arden Mikhailo" so he suggested "Arden Michael" instead." Mickey swallowed hard, keeping his eyes on his children as they played in the floor, completely ignoring him and Mandy.

"You named him after me?" He wasn't sure whether he should bust his sister's balls or be grateful that she'd choose to name her son after him. "Why?"

"You risked everything standin' up to Terry because you loved someone that fuckin' much-loved Ian that much-then turned into fuckin' super mom." Mandy laughed when Mickey kicked her ankle. "If my son's gonna be named after someone, it's gonna be someone I'd want him to be like." She laid her head on Mickey's shoulder, watching Mayla as she helped Kylan put a lego at the top of his tower. "Hope if I have two Arden's as good with the second one as May is with Ky."

"Sure he will be." Mickey assured her. He wasn't sure how Mayla was so great with Kylan-she'd been an only child for six years when he was born-but he'd never complain about it.

"Aunt Mandy?" Mayla called, walking over to her aunt with a sweet smile. "Can I help with the baby? I help Mama and Daddy with Ky all the time." Mickey was sure he could actually see his sister's heart melting.

"I'm gonna need all the help I can get, little princess." Mandy told her niece.

"Baby?" Kylan asked softly, moving to put his chubby hands on his Aunt's stomach. "Hi, baby!" He giggled, kissing her baby bump. "Baby fat." He laughed hysterically, still pressing his face against the baby bump. "Manny fat for baby?"

"He's a little asshole." Mandy told Mickey, still smiling at how cute the little Mini-Ian in front of her was.

"Had to get somethin' from me; kid looks like Ian shit him out." Mickey said with a playful shrug, scooping his son into his lap. "You bein' mean?" He asked, tickling the boy's stomach.

"Yes!" Kylan proudly proclaimed, looking like he'd accomplished something major. "I mean fat baby!" He laughed again, flopping back and lifting his t-shirt so Mickey would tickle him again.

"Yeah, you are a mean fat baby." Mickey told the boy, tickling him again. "What's sissy if you're a mean fat baby?"

"Sissy big!" Kylan laughed, earning him a smile from his sister.

"Ky, don't kick." Mayla chastised gently, moving his feet away from Mandy's side. "Don't hurt the baby."

"Sa'ee fat baby." Kylan sat up, patting Mandy's stomach. "No huwrt fat baby... Dadda!" He lost interest in his aunt the second the front door opened and his father walked in.

"Hey, little monster." Ian groaned in an exaggerated manner as he lifted Kylan off the ground. "You bein' good for Mama and Aunt Mandy?" He asked his little döppleganger, kissing his red curls softly.

"I mean fat baby!" He informed Ian.

"You are? I thought you were a big boy?" Ian teased, leaning over the back of the couch to kiss his husband's cheek. "Hey, baby."

"Mama no baby! Manny fat for baby." Ian, Mickey, Mandy, and Mayla all laughed at how serious Kylan looked as he said this.

"Mama is daddy's baby." Ian said, playfully wrestling Kylan to the floor.

"Sissy me you baby." Kylan pouted. "Dadda lub baby."

"Daddy does love his babies; daddy loves you, daddy loves sissy, and daddy loves Mama." Mandy watched the whole display, wondering if this would be Lip in a few years with Arden.

"It's a different baby... 'Cause Daddy and Mama are married." Mayla told Kylan as she climbed Ian's back.

"Sissy's right." Ian nodded and winked at his husband. "But Mama is still my baby."

"Mama me baby?" Kylan asked, looking over at Mickey. "Lub mama."

"Love you, too, monster." Kylan laughed again as Mickey spoke; he found his nickname "monster" hilarious for some reason Mickey and Ian couldn't explain. Mickey just sat back, watching Ian play in the floor with their kids, and felt content with his life.

 

"The hell do you feed him when I'm not home? Fuckin' crack or somethin'? Kid was hyper as shit." Ian groaned, flopping face down on their bed. "Why'd you take the easy kid?"

"'Cause she asked for me." Mickey said with a shrug, looking over some paper work in his lap. "And that's just your fuckin' son, man."

"He's your son; I only have a daughter. I demand a paternity test." Ian mumbled into his pillow.

"Good luck with that; fuckin' place would believe he wasn't mine before they'd buy there's a chance he ain't yours." Mickey continued working, but placed a hand on the small of Ian's back and rubbed it as he did.

"Damn it... I gotta claim that hyper shit." Ian sighed. "Mandy tell ya what they're namin' the baby?"

"Yeah. Guess Lip told you?" Ian nodded sleepily. "Don't know why they'd name it after me." Mickey said offhandedly, checking over the numbers he'd been running one last time.

"'Cause you're fuckin' perfect." Ian mumbled. "Put that shit down and cuddle with me."

"Fine. Needy asshole." Mickey teased, not telling Ian he was actually done. "Come 'ere." He ordered, laying down and holding his arms out. "Gonna have our fuckin' hands full when we finally have another one." He commented as Ian curled up against him.

"Worth it; they're cute as shit." Ian yawned. "Night, baby."

"Night." Mickey whispered, turning the light off and closing his eyes as Ian's soft breathing caressed his neck.


	42. Life Is About To Change

Since Lip and Mandy's baby was another half-Gallagher-half-Milkovich child, Mickey and Ian had to call Trevor to watch Mayla and Kylan the night Mandy went into labor. "Thanks, Trev." Ian sighed when he answered the door, letting his friend into the house. "Mick's changin' Ky and then we're leavin'." Ian informed Trevor, walking around the living room collecting the toys Kylan had thrown when he heard Ian and Mickey were leaving.

"Coulda just let me handle it." Trevor told Ian, moving to help the redhead clean up toys. "Not like I never changed the kid's diaper, before." Trevor put some toys in the small toy box in the corner of the living room.

"He freaked the fuck out when Lip called; didn't want his mama leavin' him." Trevor winced and nodded. He'd seen Kylan freak out because he wanted to stay glued to Mickey's hip. "Kept screamin' til Mick just sat down and held him."

"You ever wonder if you were like that as a baby and just forgot you loved your parents so much?" Trevor thought out loud. "I mean, you had to have loved them once, right?"

"Love my dad, now; didn't until he proved he could be a decent dad. Loved my mom until I was five, I guess." Ian conceded. "Kinda just hopin' I don't screw up like they did."

"Kiddin' me? Man, if my parents had been as good as you and Mick I'd never have been fuckin' scared to tell them I was Trans." Ian thought his friends words over; would his kids ever be afraid to tell him and Mickey something so important about who they are? "Think about it, would you and Mick love them any less if they were Gay, bi, trans, ace, or non-binary?"

"Of course not!" Ian exclaimed loudly. "They're our fuckin' kids, why wouldn't we?"

"See? That's what makes you two fuckin' great. No wonder they love you guys so much." Ian felt himself smile at Trevor's words. He turned around as he heard Mickey descend the stairs.

"Kid fell asleep. May's playin' in her room, but she ain't gonna give you any trouble. If Ky freaks out again give him the black teddy bear,-sprayed it with Ian's cologne-the blue blanket on the chair in his room,-sprayed it with mine-and turn on either "Inside Out" or "Finding Nemo" and he should calm down." Trevor was staring at Mickey-trying to understand how the Hell someone his age was so mature-and nodding. "Better get goin'." Ian jumped to his feet, running to the door behind his husband.

 

"Think he's gonna look more like Lip or Mands?" Mickey asked as Ian drove to the hospital.

"I don't know; probably be cuter if he looked like the Milkovich side of the family." Ian reached over, lacing his fingers with Mickey's. "Besides, he'll look like his uncle if he looks like his Mama; can't go wrong with that face." Mickey scoffed playfully.

"Poor kid better find a dumb fuckin' redhead if he does." Ian gasped, pulled his hand away from Mickey's, and slapped his arm. "Ouch! Asshole, that fuckin' hurts!" He laughed, trying to swat Ian's hand away. "Just fuckin' drive so I can see my nephew before your ass gets me killed."

"I would never hurt my baby!" Ian declared in mock offense. "I love you too much to get you killed!" Mickey was laughing softly from the passenger seat, watching his husband as he drove. "What?"

"Just love your goofy ass." Mickey shrugged. They parked Ian's SUV outside the hospital, ready to go meet their new nephew. "Their lives are about to fuckin' change." He said softly.

"For the better." Ian very gently reminded Mickey, taking his hand again.

"For the fuckin' best, man." Mickey sighed, thinking of how much his own life had changed since his daughter was born, and couldn't be happier about the changes he'd made.


	43. Holding On To Hope

Ian couldn't take his eyes off his beautiful nephew. Arden was a perfect combination of his brother and sister-in-law in every way; Mandy's dark hair, nose, and lips, mixed in with Lip's cheekbones, chin, and eyes. He was amazing, and Ian knew he'd end up spoiling the baby in his brother's arms. "Did good, man." Ian complimented his brother without looking away from the sleeping infant. "Guess one of us got the Gallagher nine pounder."

"Mandy wanted to kill me, man." Lip laughed, looking over at his sleeping wife. "Said if I ever touch her again I'll wake up with my balls on the night stand."

"If anyone is gonna fallow through on that it's my sister." Mickey said nonchalantly as he re-entered the room. He said he was going to call Trevor to check on Mayla and Kylan but Ian had his doubts; Mickey hated talking on the phone, yet he'd been gone for over a half an hour. "Trev said Ky was okay when he woke up." Mickey whispered, leaning over to look at Arden. "He's pretty fuckin' cute."

"Thanks, man." Lip replied, kissing his son's forehead. "Never thought I'd love someone this much."

"Comes with the territory, man; you love the little monsters the second they pop out." Ian chuckled at his husband fondly.

"You two ever think about havin' another?" Ian didn't want to answer his brother; didn't want to tell him they'd been trying for over a year at this point.

"If I'm right should have another in about nine months." Lip gave Ian a pat on the back in congratulations as he stared at his husband. "You really think I was on the phone that long? Took me five minutes to check on the kids; other thirty I was pukin' my fuckin' guts up." He'd been feeling sick for several days, but he hadn't told Ian yet-not wanting to get both of their hopes up-until he was certain it wasn't just a stomach virus.

"Are you sure?" Ian asked, terrified to get too excited about the prospect of them having another child only to have his hopes crushed.

"Haven't taken a test yet, but I think a week of throwin' up but feelin' completely fine is a pretty good sign." Mickey said, trying not to smile; he was fucking ecstatic that there was even a possibility that he was pregnant when it started to seem like they might have to wait as long as Lip and Mandy did.

"Holy shit, baby." Ian whispered, pulling his husband into a hug. "Was startin' to think it wasn't gonna happen, again."

"You two were actually trying this time?" Lip teased, though both men could tell he was happy for them. "Thought Debs was right."

"We started trying a few months before Mands got pregnant with this little guy." Ian confessed, still holding onto Mickey. "Doesn't seem that long in retrospect, but when we never had to try before it was a little rough."

"I get it; we stopped tryin' right before we found out." Lip told Ian, looking down at his son. "Didn't feel real at first, you know?"

"Felt like that with May." Mickey confirmed. "This time I'm just hopin' I'm right."

 "Trymaytesya nadiyi." Mandy muttered, eyes still closed.

"Translate?" Lip requested of his brother-in-law.

"Somethin' Ma used to tell us; means "hold onto hope."" Mickey said quietly, moving to kiss Mandy's hair. "Did good, Mands; he's beautiful."

"Thanks. Way to steal my fuckin' thunder with the whole pregnancy reveal, though." Mandy joked though still half asleep. "Your kid better be fuckin' huge after the one I just pushed out."

"Don't wish that on me, skank; remember this is my third Gallagher kid." Ian and Lip watched their spouses bicker with fond smiles.

"Whatever; bring me my son, you two go home to your little monsters and call me after you take a fuckin' pregnancy test." Mandy said, finally opening her eyes and sitting up-with some help from Mickey-to hold her son in her arms.

 

"So?" Ian asked later, nervously pacing the floor of their bedroom when Mickey walked out of the bathroom.

"Ready to not sleep again?" Mickey had barely gotten the words out before he had his arms full of a very excited redhead.

"Holy shit, we're havin' another baby." Ian said through happy tears as he planted kisses all over his husband's face. "Fuck, this is amazing, Mick."

"Last one, though; don't wanna be changin' diapers my whole fuckin' life." Mickey joked, smiling brightly. He was thrilled he'd have another child soon; thrilled that he and Ian didn't have to spend years wondering if they'd ever get the chance again.

"Last one." Ian agreed, still smiling down at the shorter man. "Can't believe we're actually havin' another baby."

"Believe it; little fucker's gonna be here in a few months." Mickey replied softly, placing a hand on his stomach. He was ready to have this, and couldn't wait to tell their children they'd have a little brother or sister, soon.


	44. The Unexpected

Ian hated waiting rooms; too quiet,-considering he went from his childhood home full of his siblings, to the Milkovich house with people angrily yelling in Ukrainian, to his own home with his husband and two young, energetic children-too bright, and still too many people looking at them like they were too young to have a child. Today was Mickey's first ultrasound appointment for their third child and-despite his excitement-he wished Mayla and Kylan could've come with them. "Stop fidgetin'." Mickey ordered softly, alerting Ian to the fact that he was bouncing his leg.

"Sorry; hate these places." Of course Mickey knew this; he'd known Ian practically his entire life. "Why the hell does everyone still look at us like we're kids havin' a kid?" He asked the brunette in a low voice.

"Cause we're still pretty young, babe." Realistically Ian knew this; they were only in their mid-twenties, after all, but he also knew they had grown up fast enough to not warrant those looks. "Just ignore it." Mickey knew him too well, sometimes.

"Hard to ignore it." Ian sighed. He hated the fact that the way people would look at them when they were out with their children-particularly Mayla-still bothered him after all this time. He understands they were young, but that doesn't mean they made the wrong choice in keeping their daughter as many people seemed to believe; "Don't you ever wish you'd waited?" "Did you stay together for your kid?" "Why did you throw your life away so young?" The questions bothered him more than the looks, if he was being honest.

"Mikhailo Gallagher?" Ian let out a sigh of relieve when Mickey's name was called. He stood up-helping Mickey to his feet despite the fact that he'd gained virtually no weight at this point-and held his hand as they walked back towards the Examination room. "How's Kylan?" The nurse asked with a smile. Lacy had been the nurse to see Mickey through most of his pregnancy with their son and had insisted on "playdates" between him and her son, Micah-who was a year older-and loved the couple and their children.

"Little monster like always." Mickey replied, earning a laugh from the blond woman.

"He excited to be a big brother?" She asked as she checked Mickey's blood pressure.

"Sorta; don't exactly like that he ain't gonna be the baby, anymore, but he likes talkin' to my stomach and tellin' the baby he loves it." Mickey told her. Kylan had surprised Mickey and Ian by actually seeming happy instead of being angry he'd have to share his Mama with another child, soon. "May was more excited than we were." That, on the other hand, hadn't surprised either parent the least.

"She's a good girl." Lacy said with a fond smile. Mayla had won her over with her sweet disposition almost instantly-like she did with most everyone she met-and had the brown-eyed woman wishing her son was older. "Alright, the tech will be in shortly. Hug my babies for me!" Lacy demanded in a chipper voice before disappearing.

"Think she still wants May to marry Micah?" Mickey thought out loud as he laid back.

"Probably; she's pretty fuckin' awesome, Mick." Ian had a prideful tone in his voice that Mickey noticed was always there when he'd talk about their children; Mickey loved that tone. "Did pretty good for two high school kids."

"Ain't kids, anymore." Mickey sometimes wondered what his seventeen year-old self would think if he saw him now; college degrees, office job, a house he loved simply for the fact that his kids could play outside, and preparing to have his third child-the only one he actually tried to conceive-with Ian. He remembers thinking that being married to the stunning redhead holding his hand with three children sounded nice, but he never thought they'd actually get there.

"Hey, Mickey!" Katie the ultrasound technician chirped as she entered the room. "Ready to see baby Gallagher number three?" Ian liked Katie, but she was overly happy and it made Mickey feel anxious.

"Yeah." Ian answered, squeezing Mickey's hand tighter as he lifted his shirt. Ian watched-completely transfixed-as Katie applied the gel to Mickey's abdomen and turned the machine on. Considering they had gone through this process twice before-he couldn't bring himself to think of the first time Mickey had been pregnant and lost the baby before they could even experience this-he knew what he was looking for. But something just... Didn't look right. "What is that?" Ian asked, pointing to a second shape on the screen.

"Looks like you're seeing Baby Gallagher three and baby Gallagher four, gentlemen." Ian wasn't sure what happened after that, too caught up in the fact that Mickey was carrying twins.

 

"Gonna be okay?" Mickey asked as they drove to the Gallagher house to pick up Mayla and Kylan. He had been shocked, but nowhere near as much as Ian had.

"Just... Shit, baby. We're gonna have four kids." Mickey was surprised that-instead of sounding scared shitless-he sounded happy. "What do you think we're havin'? Identical? Fraternal? Two girls, two boys, one of each? Takin' bets."

"Are we seriously betting on our children?" Mickey asked, raising om eyebrow as he stared at Ian. "Identical. Both boys. Got fifty bucks on it." Ian loved this crazy fucking man.

"Fraternal, one of each, and I'll see your fifty." Most people would never understand how the hell their relationship worked, but it did. They had went from shocked, to terrified, to happy and joking in less than an hour, and it was because they understood each other in a way no one else did. Ian glanced at Mickey as he drove, feeling a mixture of relief and happiness that this was the man he was experiencing all of this crazy shit with.


	45. We Got This Shit

Ian won the bet. They found out at Mickey's twenty week appointment and ultrasound that they were having a boy and a girl, but Mickey didn't seem to care, because as soon as he saw them, he couldn't stop smiling. Their families had insisted on having dinner the night after the appointment; wanting to know as soon as they could what the newest Gallagher children's genders were.

_"Come on, man, just tell us!" Kev bellowed, practically bouncing in his seat next to Vee. He had told the couple that-no matter what they had to say about it-if they had another son he was setting one of his girls up with him._

_"Kev, baby, this ain't even your kids, why the fuck are you so excited?" Vee asked, though she was just as excited-even if she hid it better than her husband-to find out the genders of Mickey and Ian's twins. She had started working on being a more attentive mother after she realized that-even though he was only seventeen when he became a parent-Mickey didn't seem to feel like having children had made him miss out on anything. And she wanted the kind of bond he had with his children with her own twins; the kind Kev had formed the moment the girls were born._

_"Who had money on what, first?" Ian asked with a smirk; he wanted to make a little extra cash off this._

_"Fraternal, two girls. Ten bucks." Lip called out._

_"Fraternal, two boys. Fifteen bucks_ _." Debbie fallowed._

_"Identical, two boys. Ten bucks; Vee wouldn't let me bet any more." Kev offered. And, of course that was his vote; he seriously thought Ian and Mickey would be okay with the knowledge that any of their babies were eventually gonna get married._

_"Identical, two girls. Fifteen bucks." Fiona said a little softer than everyone else so far, considering she had Kylan in her lap._

_"Identical, two girls-just like me and my man-and I put a twenty on it." Vee chimed in with a wink at Mickey._

_"Fraternal, one of each. It was Ma and I both, so we put a hundred down." Iggy spoke up. Damn, Ian was wishing he was wrong._

_"Same as Debbie." Mandy said quietly, holding a sleeping Arden in her arms._

_"Identical, two boys. Liam and I put in fifty." Carl said, ruffling Liam's hair the same way he did when he was a small child-despite the fact that he was now twelve-earning him a swift elbow to the groin._

_"Same as Iggy and Katia, except I only bet twenty." Frank said._

_"Same as Lip." Trevor finally said. Ian looked at Mickey, silently asking who was going to break the news._

_"Ma, Iggy, and Frank got it." Mickey spoke up. As everyone dug in their pockets to fish out the cash they owed, they managed to congratulate the couple._

_"Mama, what are their names?" Mayla asked from her spot next to Carl on the couch._

_"Daddy's namin' your little brother and I'm namin' your little sister... We gonna tell 'em now?" Ian nodded enthusiastically. They had agreed after the appointment that was how they were going to choose, but hadn't told the other which name they chose. "Come 'ere monster." Kylan happily leapt off Fiona's lap and ran to Mickey who was seated on the edge of the coffee table. "You comin' sweet girl?" Mayla smiled softly before walking to him, pulling herself onto the coffee table beside him. "Your little sister's name is Marley Jayden. She was right here, earlier." Mickey took one of each children's hands and placed them on the left side of his stomach._

_"Hi, Lee!" Kylan said in a sing-song tone as he rubbed Mickey's stomach. Mickey hadn't thought about what they'd call her-they hardly ever called their older children "Mayla" and "Kylan", usually sticking with "May" and "Ky"-but he supposed Kylan had figured it out for him. "Me Ky!" Everyone in the room aww'd at him introducing himself to his unborn sister. "Lub you!" He kissed the left side of Mickey's stomach, which only served to make everyone aww again._

_"Hi, little Marley." Mayla said, smiling down at Mickey's stomach. "I'll be a good big sister, promise. I love you, sissy." Mayla whispered so low that Mickey barely heard her. She kissed his stomach in the same spot as Kylan, looking up teary eyed at Ian. "What's my brother's name?" She asked, letting Mickey move both of the children's hands to where the boy twin had been earlier in the day._

_"Your little brother is Aleksandr Mason, but we're gonna call him Alek for short." Ian informed his eldest two children, kneeling on the floor beside Kylan._

_"Hi, Alek." Kylan said softer this time. "Me yike you; me pay wif you." Ian had to laugh at the boy's willingness to be kind to his younger siblings. 'Wait 'til they wake you up in the middle of the night, bud.' Ian thought, wondering how Kylan would react to being woken up by crying babies._

_"Hi, Alek. I have one little brother, already so I know how to be a good big sister to a boy." Everyone laughed softly at the sweet little girl talking to her baby brother. "I love you, Aleksandr." She said in a way that sounded like a promise; Mickey wasn't sure how he could love someone as much as he loved his amazing daughter._

Ian kept replaying that night in his head as he let his husband squeeze his hand through a contraction as he pushed the first twin out. "You got this shit, baby." He whispered softly. Mickey was-admittedly-much calmer than he'd been when he gave birth to Mayla, but he still wanted his twins out so he could actually hold them. He looked exhausted-having already been in active labor for over ten hours-but still had the same determination he always did as he pushed through his next contraction.

"You're doing great, Mr. Gallagher, the head's out. The next one is the big on." Even as tired as he clearly was, Mickey rolled his eyes at the doctor.

"Already fuckin' know that; did this shit twice before." Mickey barked, clearly annoyed by the young doctor delivering their twins. Mickey gasped in pain before he started to push again, squeezing Ian's hand harder. Mickey let out a shaky breath when the sound of crying filled the air; one of his babies was here.

"We have a girl." The doctor exclaimed, passing the crying infant to Ian. "Got a couple of minutes before her brother joins us." The doctor cautiously informed Mickey as Ian stepped closer, letting Mickey see their youngest daughter.

"Got your hair." Ian commented with a smile. The rest of the girl was a combination of her parents; Ian's nose and chin with Mickey's lips and cheekbones. She was perfect in Ian's eyes, and he could tell by the adoring look on Mickey's face he felt the same. "Welcome to the world, Marley Jayden Gallagher." He whispered to his daughter-who had stopped crying once she was close enough that Mickey could reach out and touch her tiny hand-with that overly happy fucking smile of his. The nurse took the baby from Ian right as another contraction hit Mickey.

"Never doin' this shit again!" Mickey seethed through clenched teeth as he took Ian's hand again. The second baby seemingly took no time at all to join them-which Mickey was grateful for-and was soon placed in Ian's arms. "Looks like me." Mickey said quietly. The little boy his husband was holding looked more like him than Mayla-who had Ian's freckles, eyes, and ears-which he was hoping meant Ian would finally get the blue eyed baby he'd been hoping for.

"He's beautiful." Ian told his husband, kissing their little son-who was, without a doubt, the smallest of their children at birth-on his nose. "Hi, Alek... Happy birthday, little man."

 

"He's so little." Mayla whispered as she looked down at Aleksandr sleeping peacefully in Mickey's arms. "Is he supposed to be that little?"

"He didn't have as much room as you and Ky did, princess." Ian reminded the girl who had fallen head-over-heels in love with her new baby brother, while Kylan hadn't looked away from his little sister. "He had to share with Marley."

"Marley's bigger, though." Mayla was right; Marley was born at sixteen inches long, five pounds even, while Aleksandr was fifteen inches and just over four pounds at birth. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine, sweet girl; he's just a little small." Mickey assured his eldest daughter. "Wanna hold him?" Mayla nodded, her green eyes bright with excitement despite the early hour. "Sit next to me," Mickey instructed. Mayla moved to lean on the pillows beside him, waiting for her next instructions. "now hold your arms like me and daddy," Mayla copied the position of Mickey's arms the best she could given how small she was. "careful with his head; gotta support it with your arm." He said softly, passing Aleksandr to his sister.

"He looks just like you, mama." The girl said in awe as she stared down at the baby in her arms. "He's so cute."

"Dadda, me kiss?" Kylan asked, pointing down at where Marley was laying in his arms.

"Yeah, monster, give sissy a kiss." He moved a little-which was harder than he expected with a toddler in his lap and an infant in his arms-so Kylan could give his little sister a kiss on her forehead. "Wanna go see your brother?" The boy looked up and happily nodded. Ian couldn't believe how amazing his kids were being with their new siblings.

 

"Kids gone?" Mickey asked sleepily. He'd fallen asleep roughly an hour ago-after they laid the twins in the bassinets stationed in his room-and hadn't been able to tell Mayla and Kylan goodbye.

"Yeah, Ma just took 'em back to her place." Ian whispered. "They love the twins." He informed his husband as if he hadn't witnessed Mayla nearly crying when she'd gotten to hold each of them.

"Good; 'cause they'll hate 'em when they wake up cryin' ten times a night." Mickey joked as he laced his fingers through Ian's. "This is gonna be hard."

"Yeah, but I'm not worried; we got this shit." Ian said with a little smile. Even though raising four kids would be hard, Mickey knew Ian was right; they got this shit.


End file.
